The war between Ukraine and Russia, which has been going on since February, causes the allies to deplete their ammunition stocks. In this context, the US Army aims to increase monthly production of 155 mm artillery shells in the next three years.

While it is not predicted when the Ukraine-Russia war will end, the US Army’s Assistant Secretary for Purchasing, Technology and Logistics Doug Bush said that it is unclear what the medium and long-term needs of the Ukrainian army will be.

Bush said these plans are based on contingency spending approved by Congress in support of Ukraine, as well as more than $600 million in investment in the ensuing aid package and mandates in the annual defence policy plan still under discussion in Congress.

Speaking to DefenseNews on the subject, Bush said: ‘’ Funding is already available, contracts are being made to triple production of the 155mm. At the top is the funding to double that again in the supplementary budget. This will take several years. We want to build up our stocks at a higher level, not just where we started the war. We foresee a dramatic increase in the production of conventional artillery munitions over a three-year period.’’ 

He added: ‘’ We are able to support Ukraine, but this is mostly in the medium and long term. By creating this capacity, if this war lasts for three or four years, we will be in a position to largely outrun the Russians on our own, and if you combine this with our allies, then we will be reducing their capacity. They won’t be able to keep up.’’ He also added that he is pushing for a doubling of the production of precision munitions, which is the most in demand for Ukraine, apart from cannonballs.

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth also told reporters that the United States is producing 14,000 155mm rounds each month, increasing that number to 20,000 by spring and 40,000 by 2025.