US facing 'great urgency' over ammunition supply to Ukraine: Politico
US officials are considering creating a fund for the Pentagon to buy versions of weapons that can be quickly transferred or sold to partners.
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Weapons and other equipment sent to Ukraine (AP)
The United States is stepping up efforts to replenish the weapons stocks depleted by supplies to Ukraine, Politico reported on Monday, citing Pentagon and industrial officials.
Mike McCord, Pentagon’s top budget official, explained that "high-end conflict consumes a lot of munitions and a lot of weaponry. We are also looking at the supply chain limitations. We haven’t got this figured out just yet."
Similarly, US Army Secretary Christine Wormuth noted a great urgency regarding the supply of ammunition to Ukraine.
"Congress is sending billions of dollars to the Department of Defense, and we are turning that around and getting that on contract — I would say two to three times faster than we normally do," Wormuth was quoted as saying.
The US defense official cited recent deals for tens of thousands of 155mm artillery rounds that Ukrainians used almost immediately after they arrived. By 2025, the US will be able to reach the figure of 40,000 such shells per month, Wormuth noted.
According to Politico, US officials are considering creating a fund for the Pentagon to buy versions of weapons that can be quickly transferred or sold to partners, including Taiwan, in the event of a conflict.
CNN reported in early November, citing US senior officials, that the United States is running low on several sophisticated weapons and munitions to send to Ukraine in the midst of the ongoing war.
One of the officials said the stockpiles of certain systems were "dwindling" after Washington spent the past nine months supplying Ukraine with arms.
In the same context, the Wall Street Journal published a report stating that there are growing concerns in the US that arms-supply commitments made to Taiwan are being affected due to the increased flow of weapons to Kiev.
According to US officials, the value of the delayed weapons supplies to Taiwan is at $18.7 billion dollars, up from $14 billion just last December.
Citing sources, the newspaper revealed that Taiwan placed orders for 208 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 215 Stinger missiles back in 2015, however they have not yet been delivered.
On Friday, the Financial Times reported that there was a growing concern among Western countries supporting Ukraine about the need to increase the production of ammunition amid the depletion of stocks.
Last week, Polish Ambassador to NATO Tomasz Szatkowski revealed that the warehouses of military equipment of NATO countries were emptying due to assistance to Ukraine.
Western countries have been ramping up their military support for Kiev since the start of the war in Ukraine.
In April, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had warned that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian forces.
Read more: Ukraine military aid hampering US defense industry: Ex-US DoD official
