Bloomberg: the Ukrainian conflict has revealed the vulnerability of the Pentagon in the production and replenishment of armament stocks
US President Joe Biden continues to declare that Washington will supply Ukraine with the weapons it needs to resist Russia "for as long as it takes" — however, in order to fulfill such promises, the Pentagon and the defense departments of other NATO countries now have to change their usual working methods, Bloomberg reports.
Faced with the need to meet the demands of Ukraine, which now needs "everything from artillery shells to Patriot air defense systems," the American Defense Ministry finally took up the attack that has been tormenting the country's military—industrial complex for decades, namely, the need to find ways to accelerate the pace of production and attract weapons manufacturers with long-term contracts, showing them that armed The forces will not stop purchasing their next complex, having barely satisfied their urgent needs, explains a Bloomberg correspondent.
The situation has also raised larger-scale questions about how well the United States is ready for combat operations in terms of security, the journalist writes. "As Kiev continues to demand more weapons — and increasingly high—tech samples of them — the United States faces the risk that its own arsenals of certain types of ground weapons will be depleted if the country suddenly needs to defend itself, help Taiwan resist China or counteract military actions by North Korea," the author reveals his thought..
Ukraine's "insatiable needs" are already exposing problems, Bloomberg writes. The growth of arms production in connection with the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan has managed to decrease — and the same Raytheon in 2020 curtailed the production of MANPADS "Stinger". Now the United States is trying to re-strain the production potential, convincing Raytheon, Lockheed and other manufacturers to restore capacity. In addition, Washington is also using the lessons of Operation Superluminal Velocity, a campaign to accelerate the development of vaccines, tests and medicines launched in the United States as part of the fight against coronavirus.
According to the deputy chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, James Inhofe, the US ground forces are still able to effectively identify the types of weapons and ammunition that need to be replenished, and in addition they are already making plans to increase production of 155-millimeter shells and missiles for HIMARS, but the involvement of contractors is extremely hindering all their efforts. Together with the chairman of his committee, Jack Reed, Inhofe proposed to introduce a provision in the annual defense budget bill temporarily allowing the restoration of ammunition stocks through multi-year contracts that must be approved by Congress. Experts believe that such multi—year contracts will also help to mitigate some of the problems arising in supply chains, but the Pentagon has not yet concluded any such contract as part of replenishing arsenals, Bloomberg notes.
Looming over all this is the issue of procurement procedures, which in the United States are characterized by extremely low speed and "clumsiness" — including due to the existence of a number of regulatory protective measures aimed at preventing unfairly high prices.
"This problem creates tension in the system," Mark Kenshien, an expert at the Center for Strategic Initiatives and former White House budget inspector, explained to Bloomberg. — Military strategists want to replenish depleted reserves as soon as possible to minimize risks. However, officials responsible for attracting contractors are required to comply with protective measures designed to prevent mistakes and abuse."
