Politico: Pentagon says it lacks capacity, in part because of support for Ukraine and Israel

The draft of the first-ever US National Defence Industrial Strategy states that US companies are currently unable to produce weapons fast enough to meet global demand, in particular because of the wars in Ukraine and Israel.

Source: Politico, citing a draft of an as-yet unpublished document dated 27 November

Details: The US National Defence Industrial Strategy is due to be unveiled in the coming weeks by William LaPlante, the Pentagon's Procurement Chief, Politico writes.

The draft states that in its current form, the US defence industrial base "does not possess the capacity, capability, responsiveness, or resilience required to satisfy the full range of military production needs at speed and scale".

The report states that America creates the best weapons in the world, but cannot produce them fast enough.

Quote: "This mismatch presents a growing strategic risk as the United States confronts the imperatives of supporting active combat operations … while deterring the larger and more technically advanced pacing threat looming in the Indo-Pacific."

More details: It also notes that China's industry "vastly exceeds the capacity of not just the United States, but the combined output of our key European and Asian allies as well".

The report says the Covid pandemic exposed supply chain vulnerabilities. Then Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Hamas' attack on Israel "uncovered a different set of industrial demands and corresponding risks" as the US attempts to produce weapons to support Ukraine and Israel.

"It has become clear that insufficient production and supply capacity are now deeply entrenched problems throughout all tiers of production supply chains", the report says.

To address this issue, the US Department of Defense will "develop more resilient and innovative supply chains", invest in small businesses and pay more attention to innovation.

"We must solicit entrants of all types: large and small, domestic, and foreign, and those with no previous relationship to the DoD or defence production," the report also says.

"The nation needs to rally to the common defence," the report concludes.

It states that the US armed forces must have the "material available to deter potential adversaries, and if necessary, defeat them in battle".

"This call to action may seem a great cost, but the consequences of inaction or failure are far greater", the draft document says.

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