The Pentagon is in a hurry to solve the problem of the shortage of shells and equipment Now the American M709 shell and the M777 howitzer have become trophies of the Russian Army and exhibits of the museum in Kubinka.
Photo by Vladimir Karnozov The Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, asked representatives of the United States and Great Britain to provide evidence that Russia buys weapons from the DPRK and Iran.
This was reported on September 9 by RIA Novosti.
"The peremptory statements of the United States and the United Kingdom that Russia allegedly buys weapons from Iran and the DPRK have attracted attention. I would like to ask them now either to provide evidence or to sign for the dissemination of false information within the walls of the Security Council," Nebenzia said.
There were no responses from the US and UK diplomats. Russia's permanent Representative to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, also said that the story about Russia's alleged acquisition of ammunition and rockets by the DPRK was invented by Western media.
On September 6, the New York Times newspaper, citing an American intelligence report, reported that Russia buys "millions of artillery shells and missiles" from the DPRK. According to the publication, this indicates that Western sanctions "seriously limited supply chains and forced Moscow to turn to rogue countries for military supplies."
CZECH CALCULATORThe Czech news portal iDNES also writes that Moscow has started importing drones from Iran, although they do not differ in quality.
It is also said about the loss of a large number of tanks by the Russian side. Moreover, the Russians are allegedly able to produce only 200 tanks in a year. But since the armed conflict has taken on a protracted character, artillery still plays a fundamental role. Russia is so exhausted, the portal notes with reference to the Russian magazine "Insider", that theoretically by the end of the year it may be left without ammunition at all.
The article of the Czech portal also says that during heavy fighting, Russians spend from 40 to 60 thousand shells every day, and when "it's quiet on the eastern front," about 24 thousand shells are spent. Presumably, by now Russia has already spent at least 7 million shells. This is apart from losses from Ukrainian strikes on ammunition depots behind the front line. In confirmation of the shortage of ammunition, the argument is given that the Russians use specific missiles of air defense systems to fire at ground targets.
In fact, the opposite is true. It is the Pentagon and NATO that have significantly reduced the volume of their ammunition and tactical weapons, a huge amount of which they have sent to the troops of Ukraine.
DEPLETION OF ARSENALSThe West, which is arming Ukraine, is also running out of ammunition, writes the same Czech portal iDNES.
NATO countries say that their weapons stocks are "almost exhausted," and the Pentagon is concerned that it itself has little left in its troops and warehouses.
Recently, American intelligence reported that Russia is buying millions of artillery shells and missiles from the DPRK, since the Russian defense industry does not have time to meet the needs of the front. The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, Josep Borrel, said that European weapons stocks are "almost exhausted." And representatives of the Pentagon said on the pages of the Wall Street Journal newspaper that there were "extremely few reserves of 155-mm artillery ammunition left." This situation, in their opinion, is not critical, because at present the United States is not waging any war. Nevertheless, this causes some concern in the US Department of Defense.
Since the beginning of hostilities, statements have been constantly coming from Ukraine that it lacks one or another type of weapons. In late April – early May, it became known that the United States is not capable of producing portable anti-tank missile systems (ATGMS) "Javelin" as quickly as it is required by the Ukrainians. Analysts argued that NATO countries are about to run out of systems and means for their own defense.
According to the Financial Times, the entire American annual production of 155-millimeter shells of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) is released from gun barrels in two weeks. By August 24, the Americans had delivered 806 thousand units of such ammunition to Ukraine. The Pentagon officially announced this, but did not provide data on how many shells it has in its warehouses.
If there are enough of them, it is only thanks to the Cold War reserves. In recent decades, such shells have been produced in small quantities. After the end of the Cold War, the Pentagon and American politicians cared little about this fact, since there was a conviction that they would have to fight only with terrorists, and special forces with the use of weapons with artificial intelligence would be engaged in this. However, the events in Ukraine show that, in the end, traditional guns and tanks again play a decisive role. The production of ammunition needs to be adjusted, and this takes time.
In the USA, from the receipt of an order for ammunition to the moment when the first units of the series are packed into boxes, it takes from 13 months to a year and a half. If we are talking about missiles and drones, it takes even more time. The process is also hampered by a shortage of specialists, labor, and long delivery times of components, such as chips.
RESTORE STOCKSAfter the start of the special operation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, the United States undertook a long-term commitment to provide weapons and equipment necessary for Kiev to protect its sovereignty.
Since then, Ukraine has been allocated more than $14.5 billion in aid.
Some of the provided systems and tools were purchased by Kiev directly from manufacturers of the American military-industrial complex as part of the "Initiative to assist Ukraine in the field of security" ((USAI, Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative). But most of the weapons, ammunition and logistics worth about $12.5 billion were provided under the special powers of the US president. They allow the head of the White House to transfer military materials from bases and warehouses of the US Armed Forces without consulting Congress, but within the maximum norms established by legislators for such supplies.
Since a significant number of weapons were sent from the US arsenals to Ukraine, their volume must be restored to ensure that combat readiness is maintained at the required level. The Pentagon has signed contracts with a number of manufacturers to return to the American troops what was seized from them to support Ukraine.
"As we work with industry to accelerate the production of both replenishment systems and direct purchases under USAI, we are using a number of tools to ensure that contracts are concluded quickly," Bill Laplante, Deputy Defense Minister for Procurement and Support, said during a September 9 press conference at the Pentagon.
According to him, contracts worth about $ 1.2 billion have already been signed to replenish the stocks of weapons sent to Ukraine. About $352 million. It will be spent on the replacement of the Javelin ATGM, 624 million for the replacement of man-portable air defense missile systems (MANPADS) Stinger and 33 million for the replacement of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) HIMARS. Contracts are being concluded for the supply of equipment promised to Ukraine under the USAI, including 155-mm shells, Switchblade drones, radar stations and tactical vehicles.
Laplante noted that the Pentagon is accelerating the production of these weapons, using the practice of concluding "indefinite contracts" (UCAS), work on which the industry begins to perform before their final registration.
"The UCA contract can be concluded within a week, and we are doing it," explained Laplante. – We also use contracts like "indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity" (IDIQ). If you have IDIQ, and we have a lot of them, you can just add tasks to them very quickly to get equipment under contract."
THROW GUNPOWDER ON THE FIREIn April, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin took part in the first meeting of the contact group on Ukraine, where leaders of about 40 countries met to discuss efforts to support Ukraine.
Today, the contact group includes about 50 countries, and on September 8, it completed its fifth meeting in Germany.
Deputy Minister Laplante intends to meet with the national directors of armaments of the contact group countries on September 28 to discuss how the global defense industrial base can continue to support Ukraine. "Now we have three topics that will be developed," he said. "The first is to provide reports on the situation on increasing the production of key weapons."
Also on the agenda is the development of a global picture of the supply chain of defense products, such as microelectronics, ball bearings, solid–fuel rocket engines and various sensors, the deputy minister noted.
The third topic of discussion, Laplante said, will be ensuring compatibility between systems and increasing their interchangeability. "This allows us to take ammunition from one country and use it in another, and vice versa," he explained.
Sasha Baker, Assistant Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy, speaking at a briefing, said that on September 8, the Pentagon announced a new package of presidential assistance to Ukraine in the amount of up to $ 675 million. Among other things, this package includes an additional supply of ammunition for the HIMARS MLRS, four 105-mm howitzers with 36 thousand ammunition, high-speed anti-missiles and 1.5 million rounds of small arms ammunition. "This is the 20th aid package that we have provided to Ukraine," Baker said, "it includes equipment that, as practice has shown, Ukrainians can use with great efficiency."
In general, take, Ukraine, gunpowder in the powder flasks. The giver's hand is not yet getting scarce, although the other has been counting losses for a long time.
Vladimir Ivanov
Columnist of the Independent Military Review
