The U.S. Army is planning to ramp production of artillery shells for Ukraine to 85,000 per month, but it’ll take 5 years to get there. The goal, Defense News reported, is to replenish ammunition going to Ukraine in large numbers to aid its fight against the Russia and to ensure the service has the right levels in its own stockpiles, Undersecretary of the Army Gabe Camarillo said on March 28 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Global Force Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama. The Army is spending $1.45 billion on capacity “to expand 155mm artillery production from 14,000 a month to over 24,000 later this year,” and 85,000 in five years, he said.
Partly to aid in the ramp up, the Army has beefed up its Organic Industrial Base, or OIB, strategy with plans to invest $18 billion over 15 years. Originally, the service wanted $16 billion to modernize the base, according to Marion Whicker of U.S. Army Matériel Command.
At the same time, the Navy and Marines are reviewing their own munitions stockpiles in view of the high usage rates in Ukraine. The Navy had expected expenditure rates to be lower because weapons are now more technologically advanced, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday told the Senate Defense Appropriations SUbcommittee. “That’s not playing out so well in Ukraine. So, it’s informed our thinking,” he said.
