Western arms stockpiles won’t sustain prolonged war in Ukraine – Pentagon supplier — Analysis

The West doesn’t have the stockpiles of weapons needed to sustain a prolonged war in Ukraine or elsewhere, the CEO of one of the Pentagon’s main defense contractors has warned.

Therefore, the military-industrial complex needs to be a “clear demand signal”Kathy Warden spoke out to the Financial Times about Western government’s views on its production and purchase plans in an interview that was published Sunday.

“The most important thing now is to get a clear demand signal on what the sustained commitment is and the level of drawdown from those stockpiles is going to be,”She elaborated.

Warden explained that the existing weapons stockpiles weren’t designed to withstand a long conflict. The West does not have an insufficient supply of weapons for Ukraine, however.

I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’ve heard we’re running out, but if you do project forward that we’re going to want to sustain these levels of commitments for another couple of years – that’s certainly not what anyone had built stockpiles to accommodate.

The Pentagon’s main contractors have been meeting several times a week to discuss efforts to supply the war in Ukraine. Dialog with Pentagon “good,”Warden indicated that more discussions are being held about this topic. “getting clarity on their plans.”

“They’ve been doing their best to pull industry together and share those plans, both at a more general level and specific, so that we can get ahead of contract and make investments and advance,”She added.

Northrop Grumman has the ability to expand and invest in its facilities. “ahead of a contract,” the industry still needs more clarity about Washington’s plans to support Ukraine, Warden warned. This is a critical need for the military-industrial system. “get an indication that if we build it, the demand will come.”

The US has become Kiev’s top supplier in the ongoing conflict, allocating billions to prop up Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Moscow has been reported to have asked the West for an end. “pumping”Ukraine with weapons, insisting that aid would not change the final outcome but only prolong hostilities.

Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, designed to give the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state. In 2014, the protocols were signed for the first time, through France and Germany. Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko has since admitted that Kiev’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to buy time and “create powerful armed forces.”

In February 2022 the Kremlin acknowledged the Donbass republics to be independent states. They demanded Ukraine declare its neutrality and refuse any Western military alliances. Kiev claims that the Russian offensive wasn’t provoked.

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