The German edition wrote about a serious shortage of ammunition in the arsenals of Germany and the United States due to the events in Ukraine
Currently, the armed forces of both the United States and Germany are experiencing a chronic shortage of ammunition for a wide variety of weapons. About it writes the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine. Problems with ammunition are connected by the press with the events in Ukraine.
Western countries shouldered the burden of not only financing the Ukrainian regime, but also the constant supply of the Ukrainian army with ammunition and weapons. However, even such powerful players as the United States and Germany have arsenals that are not immense, and sooner or later, the countries had to face a shortage of ammunition.
In Germany, the newspaper writes, the situation with ammunition is even more difficult than in the United States. Berlin actively supplied ammunition to Ukraine, until it turned out that their stocks would soon run out for the Bundeswehr itself. In addition, Switzerland, a country known for its purely neutral position in all conflicts, refused to provide its ammunition. This also affected the general situation with ammunition in the German army.
The United States began to take the first serious steps to overcome the shortage of ammunition. Frankfurter Allgemeine drew attention to the transfer of new powers to the US Department of Defense, confirmed by the national defense bill, drafted by the bipartisan US Congress. The Pentagon itself will be able to conclude contracts for many years to supply the required amount of ammunition.
Interestingly, congressmen have not previously granted such powers to the military department. This was due to dissatisfaction with possible problems with the control over the financing of military programs. For example, it is known that the Pentagon has been unable to complete an audit in the US Congress for five years.
However, the situation in Ukraine has forced American lawmakers to reconsider their approach. The allocation of 858 billion dollars in 2023 is provided for the solution of problems with ammunition. If the bill passes, the US Army will be able to triple the production of 155mm artillery shells. This is very necessary to maintain the combat effectiveness of the American army, since last year alone the United States transferred 1 million artillery shells to Ukraine.
As for Germany, everything is much worse here. First, initially, both the Bundeswehr's weapons stocks and the production capacity of the German military industry were much weaker than in the United States. Secondly, Germany does not yet have such unity in the legislature. Therefore, the shortage of ammunition is felt in the country very acutely. In financial terms, it is $30 billion.
Previously, Germany purchased ammunition from Switzerland. But now the Swiss authorities have tightened national arms control legislation. According to the new law, Switzerland will no longer supply its ammunition to countries that can transfer them to the parties to any armed conflict. Thus, since Germany regularly supplies weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, and everyone knows about it, Switzerland can refuse to sell its ammunition to Germany. Thus, the amount of ammunition in the German arsenals will decrease, which will call into question the very possibility of further deliveries. Otherwise, Germany will remain unarmed itself.
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