The United States Army's top acquisition official told the New York Times that U.S. production of 155-millimeter shells would increase to 90,000 a month within two years.
The massive rise in production is meant to both make up for shortfalls caused by Russia's war in Ukraine and to build up stockpiles for future wars, according to the New York Times.
Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, the U.S. produced 14,000 shells monthly, sufficient for the American military's style of war, the New York Times reported. But with both sides in the war in Ukraine firing thousands of artillery rounds a day, the Pentagon is aiming to boost production by 500 percent to meet Kyiv's needs in fighting Russia.
The move is part of "the most aggressive modernization effort in nearly 40 years” for the U.S. defense industry and will involve expanding factoring and finding new producers, the New York Times reported, citing an Army report.
Western-supplied weapons have been critical in Ukraine's defense and offensive operations. The recent announcements of Western-made tank deliveries are expected to give Ukraine a major equipment advantage over Russia, which relies on old Soviet stock.
