ParisUkraine is asking its allies for more weapons to fight Russia, but experts warn the West is struggling to produce enough ammunition for the weapons it has already donated to Kiev. ing.
“The war in Ukraine is consuming enormous amounts of munitions and depleting allied stockpiles,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg told journalists on Monday.
“The current Ukrainian ammunition consumption rate is many times higher than the current production rate. This puts a strain on our defense industry.”
Stoltenberg acknowledged that the Western military alliance faces a “problem” as the wait time for large caliber ammunition has increased from 12 months to 28 months.
The West has pledged billions of dollars in military aid since Russia invaded its neighbor almost a year ago, but hundreds of kilometers of intense frontline fighting have depleted ammunition stockpiles. are doing.
Exactly how much ammunition the Ukrainian army has consumed over the past few months is not immediately clear.
However, French military sources estimate that Russian forces fired up to 50,000 shells a day in July, while Ukrainian forces fired about 6,000.
And after the Kiev army launched a counteroffensive at the end of August, it is believed that the demand for ammunition in Ukraine increased significantly.
Kiev will likely need more ammunition than ever to defend itself amid growing fears that Moscow is gearing up for a new attack in the coming weeks.
peak production
Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has secured promises from its Western allies to send heavy tanks, and is now also requesting fighter jets, but so far has been unsuccessful.
A French government official said: “Before we talk about jets and tanks, let’s ensure maximum customer service for the weapons already delivered.
That included both providing enough ammunition and keeping the weapons in good condition, the sources said.
The US alone sent 1,600 Stinger surface-to-air missiles and 8,500 Javelin anti-tank missiles to Kiev, according to the US State Department.
But that’s the equivalent of 13 years of production for the Stinger and five years of work for the Javelin, Greg Hayes, head of US defense firm Raytheon Technologies, warned in December.
Even with increased production in partnership with fellow American arms company Lockheed Martin, it could only produce 400 Javelin missiles a month.
French arms industry company Nexter Systems has an annual production capacity of tens of thousands of 155 mm ammunition, but a senior military official said the group was “almost at capacity”.
Decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the West has cut its defense spending.
Leo Peria Peigne, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations, said Western countries were preparing to gradually replenish their ammunition supplies.
But “it depends on whether the state is ready to make the financial effort,” he said.
‘Wholely inadequate’
Ultimately, William Alvark, an expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said, “Western defense industries are not ready for war.”
“The defense industry, including ammunition, logistics, supplies and training, is simply inadequate to carry out this task.”
The West prepares not only for war in Ukraine, but for any escalation in other parts of the world, either Russia, China, or even Iran and North Korea.
Ivan Klaiszcz, a researcher at the Estonia-based International Center for Defense and Security, agreed that the post-Cold War model showed its “flaws.”
Within NATO, Poland, Romania and the Baltics could help produce ammunition for Soviet equipment still in use in Ukraine alongside Western weapons, he said.
But he said he has also been in contact with countries outside the alliance, including South Korea, Morocco, Jordan and Pakistan.
“Short-term solutions will have to come from abroad,” Kraištu said.
“Everything else will take months.” – AFP
