The US has dipped into stockpiles of arms it keeps in Israel and South Korea to supply Ukraine with more artillery shells, The New York Times reported Tuesday, citing anonymous US and Israeli officials.
The stockpile in Israel is meant to supply the US for its conflicts in the Middle East and is also used occasionally by Israel. Between the two stockpiles, the US has shipped hundreds of thousands of artillery shells to Ukraine, as Kyiv’s war effort is entirely reliant on the flow of US ammunition.
Israel hasn’t shipped weapons of its own to Ukraine and was initially concerned about the US drawing down from the stockpile to arm Kyiv. But US and Israeli officials told the Times that about half of the 300,000 shells bound for Ukraine have already been shipped to Europe and will enter Ukraine through Poland.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the US has pledged to send Kyiv over one million 155 mm artillery shells. A senior US official told the Times that a good portion of that number, although less than half, is being shipped from the stockpiles in Israel and South Korea.
The revelation demonstrates how supporting the war in Ukraine is depleting US military stockpiles. US weapons makers and the Army have big plans to ramp up ammunition production, but some military leaders are warning that it may be hard to arm both Ukraine and the US as the war drags on.
Ukraine is using an average of 90,000 rounds of artillery each month, which is more than double what the US and Europe can produce, signaling that the policy of supporting Kyiv’s war effort may be unsustainable.
After they run out of these stockpile, they’ll have to call Dr. Evil for his Sharks with freaking laser beams.
Thanks for making me laugh, in the midst of all of this mess.
300k seems like it will last until around May (3 months from now). How can so much money spent over the last 2 decades provide such a small number of artillery shells?
It is like the number of tanks being sent over.
For years I thought we would just overwhelm Russia with outright numerical superiority. Instead, we are not in Crimea much less Belgograd, and we seem to be having supply problems of EVERYTHING.
ONE Patriot system – apparently will be 3??? It just goes on and on.
“Pentagon Sends US Artillery Shells Stored in Israel and South Korea to Ukraine The policy of arming Ukraine may be unsustainable as Ukraine is using an enormous amount of artillery rounds”
Russian factories turn out hundreds and hundreds of artillery shells a day and transports them a short distance to the war. America raids warehouses and sends everything thousands of miles on ships if it can, but cannot ramp up production.
Who wins the logistics war, NOT the US!
What worries me is if a genius in the Pentagon finally convinces Joe to authorize shots deep in Russia in an attempt to hit those plants. If that happens, the escalator to the top floor will shoot to the top. WWIII. Emmanuel Todd has said we are in WWIII. Now. He correctly predicted the demise of the Soviet Union, long before it occurred.
When we hit Russia, then Russia hits us. Then it’s on. Is that really what we want?
Hell No!
maybe US should send brand new artillery shells to ukraine instead of whatever BS they store in israel and SK. whatever, they are ultimately paid for by joe taxpayer and the bullet-store guys are making a profit.
The US max capacity has been ordered. It makes in a year what Ukraine fires in a month or less. That’s why.
“maybe US should send brand new artillery shells to ukraine instead of whatever BS they store in israel” = i was trying to be sarcastic
Israel has almost no stockpiles of its own. Public announcements have claimed they had 5 days worth, but that is their target figure.
The US spends billions to store “its” ammo and parts in Israel, all freely available to Israel for its use. That is the real Israeli stockpile.
In one recent year, the US budgeted an extra $800 million specifically for ammo to be stored in Israel. It stores more under other headings.
Ammo in such quantities as modern weapons use in intense warfare costs more than the weapons. When we supply all of it, we double the cost of the weapons we supply. That is what we have inside Israel.
Now as we draw down on “our” stock in Israel, we are sending away the Israeli stockpile. They don’t have anything else.
This is not a US stock, freely available for the US to draw on. Expect screaming opposition to serious draws on this stock.
Are Israelis helping load the C-7s? Direct assistance makes Israel a target.
Those shells are basically intended for killing Russians, so they are being used for their intended purpose. In the end we have no shells and no Russians and that would be an OK outcome
For that bit of inhumanity, I say bye. You don’t belong in an anti-war forum whose members are united in reducing suffering on all sides by promoting negotiation over fighting. You should join an all-american rah rah war forum, of which, sad to say, there are many.
Ammo laundering, the perfect compliment to any proxy war!
The Biden presidency — dirt under my feet. Too bad we have no more honest patriots who honor the word: Honor, as opposed to the empty shell that passes for ethics and true patriotism.
Bottom of the barrel?
If I remember right it was the Red Army, the Russians, that liberated the Jews and others that survived the Nazi death camps in Poland. So instead of being eternally grateful to those that set them free, the state of Israel has joined the very forces that are fueling and perpetuating this war, this slaughter in Ukraine. This war doesn’t end well until the US sees the light and does what a super power is required to do, back off and make peace.