The Pentagon plans to increase the production of 155-millimeter artillery ammunition by 500% within two years, that is, by 6 times. Production volumes will rise to levels not seen since the Korean War. It is reported by The New York Times.

The publication reports that the United States is investing billions of dollars in the production of ammunition to offset the shortage caused by the war in Ukraine and create reserves for future possible conflicts..

At the time of the start of the full-scale invasion of the Russian army into Ukraine, US defense plants were producing 14.4 thousand artillery ammunition per month.. But the need of the Ukrainian armed forces prompted the Pentagon to triple production plans in September and then double them again in January, ramping up production to 90,000 or more rounds per month..

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To implement this decision, the United States will expand both existing defense plants and attract new manufacturers.. The Pentagon will spend a billion dollars annually over the next 15 years to increase the level of automation of defense enterprises, the safety of workers, and, ultimately, the faster production of ammunition..

Artillery shells became scarce due to the Russian-Ukrainian war. The United States has now sent more than 1 million artillery munitions to Ukraine.

This, according to the NYT, is “the most aggressive modernization in the last 40 years” of the US military-industrial base..

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The Pentagon did not disclose the number of 155mm rounds it holds, but Assistant Secretary of the Army Bush said the planned increase in production will meet Ukraine's needs in real time and replenish stocks already removed from storage..

“This summer, we will begin to see our first significant increase in ammunition production per month,” Bush said of expected production targets..

“In fiscal 2024, production ramp-up will peak.”.

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Recall, during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Bucharest at the end of November, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that NATO would invest in the production of Soviet-style weapons systems used in Ukraine.. We are talking about the production of 152-mm shells in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria, because the Armed Forces of Ukraine still have a lot of Soviet-style barrels.