NATO members reportedly experienced a serious depletion of ammunition stocks due to their support for Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said a few days ago that despite the great pressure on the military industries of member states, NATO will continue to provide military equipment and training to Ukraine. Stoltenberg said in an interview: "Ukraine is currently consuming ammunition several times faster than we are producing at the same rate. This puts our defense industry under pressure. ”
There are reports that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has fully proved that the so-called "timely ammunition supply" is unsustainable, and Western ammunition stocks are shrinking. It has also been reported that the United States has now delivered or promised to deliver more than 1 million shells, but it is now experiencing supply problems and has to focus on ammunition depots in Israel and South Korea. According to the analysis, this shows that Western countries are not ready for conventional combat.
Affected by the shortage of ammunition, factories in the United States and Germany plan to increase ammunition production. At the same time, demonstrations broke out in Munich, Germany, demanding an end to the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Thousands of people marched from the Lincoln Memorial to the White House to protest, demanding that the United States stop sending weapons to Ukraine and dissolve NATO.
The Mihara Railway Plant "worked overtime" to produce shells:
Workers work 15-16 hours a day
According to the report, a former railroad factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania, has now become a factory for the US military to produce ammunition. Inside the factory, steel workers are working "overtime" on the production line to produce shell casings. Richard Hansen, the plant's U.S. military chief, said it was working hard to meet the contract, saying, "We workers work 'double shifts' every day, averaging 15-16 hours per person per day, 5-6 days a week. ”
After the production of the shells is completed, the shells will be sent from Pennsylvania to Iowa to complete the assembly of ammunition, and once assembled, the shells will be sent to Eastern Europe. Hansen says it's a very difficult process, a highly engineered process. Considering the quality assurance problem, it is not possible to rush to increase production quickly.
According to the report, the relevant personnel are very cautious in their expression, and will not mention Ukraine itself, but will use phrases such as "matching contract needs" and "meeting contract needs". However, the report pointed out that the contracts mentioned are related to Ukraine, and the demand for ammunition is indeed huge. U.S. officials also acknowledged that this is the tightest U.S. artillery shell production in 70 years.
↑ In a former railroad factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA, workers produce artillery shells in "two shifts"
It is reported that this plant alone can produce 11,000 155mm shells per month. But this rate of production is far from keeping up with the rate of consumption of Ukraine on the battlefield. Ukraine uses an average of 5,000 to 7,000 shells per day, and in some of the more intense "battles," it may use an average of more than 10,000 shells per day.
Hansen added that this is an opportunity for the locals of Scranton. He also called on the U.S. government to invest in its factories. "We need to invest time and money in this plant, and we need to make sure we can continue to produce efficiently." He said.
According to reports, the amount of ammunition needed for the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has exposed the current vulnerability of the US defense industry, which is now trying to move away from peacetime production levels but is still plagued by shortages of parts and labor.
German Defense Minister:
Increase production capacity to the maximum as quickly as possible
Frank Sauer, a security expert at the Bundeswehr University in Munich, believes that at this stage, the shortage of ammunition is the "fundamental problem", and it is far more serious than the problem of air defense systems and tanks. Nico Lange, a German military expert and former chief of staff at the Ministry of Defense, agreed, stressing that increasing ammunition productivity is the most important thing at the moment: "In my opinion, [ammunition shortages] are more important than any symbolic discussion." ”
German Defense Minister Pistorius is urging the German defense industry to "maximize production capacity as soon as possible," and the contract with defense company Rheinmetall to resume the production of Leopard tank ammunition is an important step.
↑ According to the contract, Rheinmetall will produce 300,000 pieces of ammunition, which will be delivered to Ukraine from July of this year
According to reports, Switzerland, as a neutral country, has previously refused to provide Germany with ammunition for Swiss-made Leopard tanks, and in order not to rely on Swiss ammunition, the German government decided to sign a contract with Rheinmetall. According to the contract, Rheinmetall will produce 300,000 pieces of ammunition and deliveries to Ukraine will begin in July of this year. As previously reported, Rheinmetall said that the company is ready to significantly increase the production of tank and artillery ammunition to meet strong demand from Ukraine and the West, and may start production of Hymas rocket artillery in Germany.
But despite Pistorius' demand to "maximize production capacity," Hans Christoph Atzpodien, president of the German defense and military industry association BDSV, pointed out that companies need binding orders and specific commitments. He explained that we have to make sure that the products we produce are what our customers really need, and we need to have planned and reliable orders.
German-American People's March:
Demand to stop the supply of weapons to Ukraine
Just as Germany and the United States were planning to increase ammunition production capacity, mass demonstrations broke out in both countries demanding an end to the supply of weapons to Ukraine.
According to reports, on February 18, local time, during the 59th Munich Security Conference, a number of demonstrations broke out in the southern German city of Munich, calling for a peaceful resolution of regional conflicts and a halt to the supply of weapons to Ukraine. The analysis believes that this shows that there are differences in attitudes towards the Ukrainian issue within Germany. In fact, for many Germans, arming Ukraine is uneasy. Jürgen Todenhöfer, a former MP, questioned whether NATO was really good for Germany. He stressed that people should serve peace, not the United States. In addition, there were calls for the United States to leave the Ramstein airbase in Germany.
↑On February 19, in Washington, the capital of the United States, people participate in a rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial Pictured, according to Xinhua News Agency
According to overseas network reports, on the 19th local time, thousands of people in the United States marched from the Lincoln Memorial to the White House to express protest, demanding that the United States stop sending weapons to Ukraine and dissolve NATO. It is reported that former US congressmen Dennis Kusinich, Tursi Gabbard and other politicians participated in the protests. Some protesters held up signs reading "No Aid, No Nuclear Weapons" saying, "I'm here to avoid nuclear war." I don't think the United States should get involved in any war. We should not fund, we should not assist, we should not invade, we should not participate. ”
Red Star News reporter Li Jinrui
Edited by Guo Yu and edited by Guan Li
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