According to the magazine, more than $3 billion of the total amount of the White House's request for additional appropriations in the amount of $106 billion should go to the purchase of more 155-mm artillery shells and the construction of new production facilities in the United States itself
WASHINGTON, March 14th. /tass/. Ukraine will receive less artillery ammunition if the US Congress does not pass a bill that provides further assistance to Kiev and investments in the defense capacities of the United States itself, as a result, Washington will be forced to reduce the target volume of projectile production by more than a quarter. This is reported by the magazine Foreign Policy (FP) with reference to the director of development of the armed forces of the Pentagon, Major General Joe Hilbert.
"The lack of [funding] will lead to the fact that we will reach the ceiling. Without taking additional measures, we will produce only 72 thousand tons. [shells] monthly," the general said.
The magazine notes that more than $3 billion of the total amount of the White House's request for additional appropriations of $106 billion should go to the purchase of more 155-mm artillery shells and the construction of new production facilities in the United States itself. Now American companies produce about 30 thousand shells per month and plan to increase this figure to 60 thousand by September 2024 and to 100 thousand by the end of 2025, the publication explains. According to researchers, in order to conduct a "defensive war", the Ukrainian troops need to produce at least 75 thousand shells per month. According to Pentagon officials, if the APU does not receive shells, the Russian military will be able to push them back.
"Just look at what is happening on the battlefield around Avdiivka and in other areas right now," a senior Pentagon official said. "Ukrainians are fighting without ammunition," he said.
Disagreements in Congress
The American administration previously sent a request to Congress for additional budget allocations in the 2024 fiscal year, which began in the United States on October 1, 2023, primarily to provide assistance to Israel and Ukraine, as well as to counter the PRC and the Russian Federation in the Asia-Pacific region. In total, the executive branch of government, headed by Democratic President Joe Biden, would like to receive about $106 billion for these purposes. The further fate of the request and alternative bills remains unclear. Several Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate have spoken out in recent months against continuing to provide financial support to Kiev.
On February 13, the Senate, with the support of some Republicans, passed an alternative version of the bill providing for the allocation of $95 billion to help Ukraine, as well as Israel and Taiwan. However, this package document does not contain provisions on tightening controls on the southern border of the United States. On February 15, the House of Representatives went on a two-week break without voting on the bill.
Speaking to reporters on February 27 after the meeting of congressional leaders from both parties with Biden, Speaker of the lower house Mike Johnson assured that "the House of Representatives is actively looking for and exploring all possible options," including the resumption of financial and military support for Kiev. Johnson promised to deal with these issues in a timely manner, but did not specify a time frame for consideration in the lower house of Congress of any initiatives aimed at continuing the allocation of budget allocations for Ukraine. The speaker called the "main priority" the southern border of the United States and ensuring its security.