US chief of staff complains about gaps in Pentagon ammunition stocks

US Chief of Staff Mark Milley is concerned about the military capacity of the United States. Because of gaps in ammunition stocks, the US is not prepared for a potential major war. There is still "a long way to go" in stockpiling, Milley warned at a hearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Matters Relating to the US Armed Forces on Wednesday.

There, Chief of Staff and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin answered questions from MPs about the impact of the Ukraine war on Pentagon holdings. The United States is supplying Ukraine with most of the ammunition it needs to defend itself against Russian invaders.

Milley said the Ukraine war illustrates how munitions are consumed in any major conflict. "If there were a war on the Korean peninsula or a great power war between the United States and Russia or the United States and China, the consumption levels would be at extremely high levels," he said of ammunition consumption. "So I'm concerned."

This also applies to the defense minister. "We have a long way to go to ensure our inventory is prepared for the real eventuality."

Pentagon chief Austin has instructed the military to conduct a full review of all operational plans and an estimate of ammunition stockpiles, Milley added. This evaluation could then form the basis for future budget requests.

The Pentagon is asking for $30 billion from the 2024 budget to invest in the industrial production of equipment for the US armed forces, Austin said at the hearing. The money will also be needed to buy the largest possible amount of ammunition that American industry can produce.

The head of the Pentagon-based Army Office, Christine Wormuth, testified to lawmakers last week that the force is confident the amount of military assistance it has delivered to date will not undermine its own combat readiness. But keep this in mind.

According to observers, US stocks of 155 mm caliber ammunition for artillery guns are of particular concern. The United States has delivered 160 howitzers to Ukraine, along with more than a million rounds of this type of ammunition. According to the Pentagon, consumption is high: up to 3,000 shots are fired per day during war.

Wormuth visited an army-run plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where shell casings are made. The facility asked for $1.5 billion in budgetary funds to ramp up production, she said. The US would like to increase the production volume from around 20,000 cases per month to 75,000 by 2025.

According to experts, there is also a shortage of ammunition for MLRS multiple rocket launchers, which the USA is also supplying to Ukraine. Wormuth said the US is working to ramp up production from around 6,000 to 15,000 a year. She and Austin expressed hope that Congress would allow the Pentagon to create multi-year procurement plans. This would save costs, and the industry would then have more planning security.