US reinforces munitions production strategy

The US Army is diversifying its supply chain for essential components like 155mm artillery shells and propellant charges in a strategic move to enhance its munitions production capabilities and reduce vulnerabilities.

The Army aims to eliminate all major single-source providers for parts and materials related to 155mm munitions by the end of 2025, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

“There will be numerous ribbon-cutting ceremonies between now and the end of the year,” Doug Bush, the Army’s acquisition chief, stated in an interview with Defense News prior to the Association of the US Army’s annual conference. The Pentagon is investing billions to boost the production capacity of 155mm munitions, aiming to replenish stockpiles that have been sent to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia since the invasion began in early 2022.

The Army has allocated $3.1 billion in supplemental funding for FY24 alone to enhance production capabilities. Before the Ukraine conflict, the US could manufacture around 14,400 artillery shells each month. However, as Ukrainian forces deplete the ammunition for the howitzers supplied to them, it became clear that the current infrastructure could not sustain necessary replenishment. The Army has set a goal of producing 100,000 artillery shells per month, although officials have indicated that they are slightly behind schedule. 

Currently, the Army is producing 40,000 shells per month, with plans to reach 55,000 shells per month by year’s end, as noted by Army Secretary Christine Wormuth at the recent Defense News Conference. “Recent developments include our new plant that opened a couple of months ago in Mesquite, Texas, along with an upcoming load, assembly, and packing facility in Camden, Arkansas. These are clear examples of how our investments in the organic industrial base are paying off,” she stated.

Previously, the Army produced 155mm shells at a single facility in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and a nearby privately operated site, with all shells transported to the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant for packing with explosives. In response to the growing demand, the Army quickly contracted General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems to create a new, largely automated facility in Mesquite, utilizing production systems from Türkiye. Additionally, they have partnered with IMT Defense in Ontario, Canada, for further shell production. According to Bush, shell production will expand from one facility to four by early next year.

The load, assembly, and packing processes will also take place at two new locations outside Iowa—General Dynamics in Camden, Arkansas, and Day & Zimmerman in Parsons, Kansas. In 2023, the Army awarded $1.5 billion in contracts globally to procure bulk energetics like TNT and IMX-104 explosives, as well as primers and fuses. Furthermore, the Army is establishing two new locations for propellant production. 

Currently, propellant for modular artillery charges is only produced at one site, Valleyfield in Canada. A new facility will be built at Radford Army Ammunition Plant in Virginia, which will also see an increase in capacity at the Canadian site. The Army plans to design and construct a domestic TNT production facility, likely at Radford. Once a contract is awarded, construction is expected to take 48 months. At present, the US relies entirely on TNT sourced from allies. 

The sole manufacturer of combustible cartridge cases, Armtec Defense Technologies, is based in Coachella, California—famous for its music festival but also located along the earthquake-prone San Andreas Fault. Day & Zimmerman will now produce these cases at a new facility in Texarkana, Texas. Additionally, the Army is establishing two sites for propellant charge production: American Ordnance in Middletown, Iowa, and General Dynamics in Camden, Arkansas. 

“There are still occasional single points of failure, and while I’m not sure we can completely eliminate them, we can create more redundancy than we previously had,” Bush stated. “Previously, our setup was quite fragile; I could pinpoint four buildings in the US, and if something happened to one of them, production would halt completely. That level of risk is unacceptable now, and we are actively working to improve it.”

By Naila Huseynova