War in Ukraine mobilised defence and industrial base in US, Pentagon says

Support for Ukraine has mobilised the base of the defence industry in the US. This is something that has not happened in the country for decades.

Source: the United States Department of Defence (US DoD)

Details: The United States Department of Defence committed about US$3.3 billion in 18 states to help defence contractors both expand and modernise existing production lines and build new ones from scratch. The contractors produce, among other things, 155mm artillery shells, guided multiple launch rocket systems, and Stinger and Javelin missiles.

The US Department of Defence allocated more than US$10 billion for the creation of new equipment and replacement of what was sent abroad, as well as the manufacture of new equipment for shipment to Ukraine.

In total, the Department of Defence has ordered equipment worth more than US$27 billion from suppliers in 37 states.

Quote: "Since the 24 February 2022, Russian invasion, the US has committed approximately $44 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. Assistance has been provided through either presidential drawdown authority, where equipment is pulled from the military's inventory and sent overseas, or through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, where the government contracts directly with industry to send new equipment to Ukraine once it's ready. 

When capability is pulled from existing US inventory, it must be replaced to ensure US military units maintain their own readiness. As of mid-November, the department has obligated nearly US$17 billion toward purchasing replacements for the equipment that was sent to Ukraine from US stocks." 

Quote from William LaPlante, US undersecretary of defence for acquisition and sustainment: "Across the board, the response of our U.S. industrial base to meet Ukraine's defence needs has been truly historic. It's been a nationwide effort that spans the full spectrum of our supply chains in nearly every capability area. While there's no question we still have significant work ahead of us to fully rebuild a modern defence industrial ecosystem, we should not lose sight of what we've been able to achieve together with our partners in industry over the past 21 months." 

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