[Text/Observer Network Wang Shichun] The 8-month conflict between Russia and Ukraine is exhausting both sides' ammunition reserves, and even the US's inventory of guided weapons is beginning to emerge.
According to Fox News on October 15, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said this week that the United States and its Western allies have difficulty meeting Ukraine's demand for advanced weapons and precisely guided munitions.
Regarding Austin's statement, Fox News said that this may indicate two situations. One is that the US military's inventory is indeed tight and cannot continue to supply Ukraine. The other is that White House deliberately slows down aid to Ukraine, worried that the escalation of the situation may lead to a war between the United States and Russia.
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Austin interviewed by reporters on 12th Photo source: Fox News Network
Fox said in the report that since the United States began to provide weapons assistance to Ukraine, there have been reports that the U.S. high-end ammunition inventory is at the risk of unsustainable supply. Now, nearly eight months after the war began, experts interviewed by Fox News said that the ability to donate high-end weapons in the United States has reached or is very close to their limits.
Mark Cancian is a senior adviser to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He has studied defense procurement issues for seven years for the White House budget section. Cancian said that the US military cannot continue to provide high-end ammunition such as "Haimas" rockets, "Jaullin" anti-tank missiles, , "Sthorn" air defense missiles and 155mm howitzers, because "in some areas, our (stock) is basically at the bottom."
At the same time, the US military also lacks some weapons that the Ukrainian army urgently needs, such as the advanced surface-to-air missiles, weapons. Kansian said: "This confirms my judgment that we will continue to support Ukraine, but we will have to do it in different ways, such as providing alternatives (such as replacing 155mm cannons with 105mm cannons), or we may have to buy supplies from others, or it will take longer, but it is unlikely that we will support Ukraine in the past."
Kansian also pointed out that purchasing other NATO weapons will make Ukraine a "zoo of NATO weapons", further increasing the difficulty of logistics support and compatibility.
Austin also answered this question indirectly at a press conference on the 12th. At a press conference held on the 12th, when asked by reporters whether the United States and other countries were worried about the insufficient supply of key ammunition at home, so that they could no longer help Ukraine, Austin replied that we "hope" is to let Ukraine get the weapons it needs, but what NATO Group currently faces is not the problem of "lack of (donated weapons) willingness".
When talking about whether supporting Ukraine will affect Ukraine's stockpile, Austin said: "We will produce and deliver these very effective capabilities in the coming months or even years, even if we continue to meet Ukraine's most pressing self-defense needs now."
But some in the U.S. Congress have different understandings of Austin's remarks, and they believe that the Biden administration intends to delay the delivery of critical ammunition to Ukraine as it is increasingly concerned about direct conflict with Russia.
A congressional aide who has a practical understanding of these issues told Fox News that although U.S. officials have hinted that supply is tight, there is still room for stocks to increase. Supply slows down because the Biden administration has made different plans.
Although the outside world continues to question the ability of the US military to continue to deliver Ukraine's weapons, the US military continues to provide weapons assistance to Ukraine. On the 14th local time, the White House official website released a memorandum signed by US President Biden , announcing the provision of the latest military aid to Ukraine worth $725 million. These include ammunition and vehicles, national defense supplies, etc.
These weapons include 200 "HMMWV" tactical transport vehicles. 500 155mm Excalibur guided shells, 23,000 155mm artillery shells, 5,000 anti-tank weapons, 5,000 long-range anti-armor mines, anti-radiation missile and additional "Haimas" ammunition.
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