U.S. Weapons Cache ‘Not Prepared’ For Protracted War With China, Study Says

The data from top military and defense officials, as well as leaders in Congress and the defense industry, shows that the U.S. weapon cache will be woefully short if the United States and China enter into hostilities.

Seth Jones from the Center for Strategic and International Studies authored the report. The report follows a CSIS wargame scenario. This scenario pointed out that U.S. weapons, including long-range, precision guided munitions could go completely empty in one week of conflict with China.

“The bottom line is the defense industrial base, in my judgment, is not prepared for the security environment that now exists,” Jones said The Wall Street JournalThe defense industry is currently “better suited to a peacetime environment. … How do you effectively deter if you don’t have sufficient stockpiles of the kinds of munitions you’re going to need for a China-Taiwan Strait kind of scenario?”

“These shortfalls would make it extremely difficult for the United States to sustain a protracted conflict,” Jones’ report asserted. “They also highlight that the U.S. defense industrial base lacks adequate surge capacity for a major war.”

“The history of industrial mobilization suggests that it will take years for the defense industrial base to produce and deliver sufficient quantities of critical weapons systems and munitions and recapitalize stocks that have been used up,” The study was expanded.

Adm. Daryl Caudle is the head of U.S. Fleet Forces Command. He has voiced his dissatisfaction with the defense industry and its snapping. “I am not forgiving of the fact they’re not delivering the ordnance we need. … All this stuff about Covid this, parts, supply chain — I just don’t really care. We’ve all got tough jobs.”

The U.S.’s support of Ukraine in its war against Russia has led to the Pentagon reassessing its munitions stockpile in December. This demonstrates the years-long underinvestment in munitions. The Journal suggests investing in new weapons systems rather than ammunition or shells. noted.

Bill LaPlante (undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment) was acknowledged. “You have to have almost a political environment like we have now, where people see the urgency for it. Because in times of peace and times of prosperity, it’s one of the first things that falls off the budget.”

As recently as late December, 71 Chinese warplanes were detected flying around Taiwan, performing military exercises, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry.

According to the People’s Liberation Army, China was conducting a “strike drill” In response to “provocations” “collusion” The United States and Taiwan.

“71 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected in our surrounding region by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today,” Taiwan Defense Ministry tweets “R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities.”