The USA will triple the production of 155-mm shells

The United States will triple the production of 155 mm artillery ammunition.

Doug Bush, Army’s Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, mentioned this in his interview with Defense News.

The need to boost the production of shells is designed to increase the American stockpile of large-caliber artillery ammunition amid supplying Ukraine with a large amount of ammunition for howitzers to defend against a Russian invasion.

The U.S. has already supplied Ukraine with over 1 million artillery rounds, and Pentagon officials believe that the war in Ukraine will continue in the future, which will further deplete American stockpiles and those of the allies. Therefore, the US wants to be ready for these challenges. According to Doug Bush, those plans hinge on emergency spending for Ukraine that Congress already approved, but also on over $600 million in industrial investments, according to Doug Bush.

“Funding is already in place, contracts are underway to basically triple 155mm production,” Bush said.

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth separately shared with the reporters that the U.S. will go from making 14,000 155mm shells each month to 20,000 by the spring and 40,000 by 2025.

Bush noted that the U.S. Department of Defense is paying to expand and improve production capacity at its ammunition plants in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Kingsport, Tennessee, and Middletown, Iowa.

In recent days, the Pentagon awarded contracts to three private companies to produce and deliver 155mm artillery: General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, American Ordnance, and IMT Defense.

According to Bush, the U.S. Department of Defense also aims to contract defense firms outside the U.S. for artillery shells for Ukraine, a step in line with talks between senior Pentagon officials and their foreign counterparts about greater industrial cooperation.

Beyond artillery shells, Bush claimed that he is pushing to double production for most in-demand precision munitions for Ukraine: Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System rounds for the Lockheed Martin-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System and Javelins, and the portable anti-tank weapon jointly made by Lockheed and Raytheon Technologies.

The U.S. Senate is currently agreeing on a bill to authorize massive purchases of high-priority munitions using multiyear contracts to help Ukraine fight Russia and to refill U.S. stockpiles.

At the beginning of December, it was reported that the United States is considering a dramatic expansion in the training of Ukrainian troops. The initiative would include the training of 2,500 Ukrainian servicemen per month at the US base in Germany.