For the purpose of repairing these damaged howitzers, the Pentagon is claimed to have established a repair facility close across the Ukraine-Poland border.
According to sources cited by the New York Times on November, the US Department of Defense has a problem with the frequency with which Western-made artillery pieces sent to Ukraine sustain damage or damage in the course of combat. The Pentagon is said to have established a repair facility in Poland across the border to address the issue after supplying Kiev with hundreds of howitzers.
The New York Times reported that one-third of the 350 pieces of artillery the West has sent to Ukraine are never operational, according to US officials and others “familiar with Ukraine’s defence needs.”
Weapons become “dead” after being used repeatedly or suffer combat-related damage that cannot be fixed on the spot. The Pentagon’s European Command is reportedly moving a repair facility to Poland in order to prioritise the mission of fixing relief supplies going to Ukraine.
Recent months have seen the start of repair efforts. But American authorities keep a careful eye on the condition of Ukraine’s arsenal. The New York Times further stated that its sources declined to offer any other information regarding the initiative.
Polish maintenance frequently entails changing barrels and performing other repairs. According to reports, Ukrainian officials have suggested locating repair facilities closer to the front lines so that the weapons can be quickly put back into use.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg asserted that the alliance’s lack of operations inside Ukraine on November 25 demonstrated that it was not taking part in hostile activities. However, Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, claimed in October that NATO had become involved in the crisis as a result of Western military support for Ukraine.
Western nations have given Kiev billions of dollars in security assistance since late February, when Russia started its military incursion in Ukraine. Since the commencement of hostilities, the United States, which is Ukraine’s strongest ally, has sent Ukraine armaments worth more than $19 billion, including artillery.
As of November 23, the US had given 142 155mm howitzers and 924,000 shells for this gun, according to information made public by the Pentagon. Washington also provided 180,000 ammunition and 36 105mm howitzers.
Moscow has asserted time and time again that Western arm transfers simply serve to prolong the conflict. In the meantime, Ukraine pleaded with its friends over and again for greater weaponry support to help it in its counteroffensive to retake lost territory.
According to information obtained by CNN, the US government is growing more anxious about its ability to continue providing Ukraine with cutting-edge weapon and ammunition systems.
According to three US officials who spoke with CNN, some of the difficulties the US is having helping Ukraine include “emptying” weapons stockpiles and the defence industry’s capacity to meet demands. There is only a “limited amount” of extra inventory that Washington can send to Kiev, an official told CNN.
155mm artillery shells and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles currently in stock are of particular concern to Washington, according to the source. The manufacturing of weapons like the HARM anti-radiation missile, the GMLRS surface-to-surface missile, and the Javelin man-portable anti-tank system has some officials concerned as well.
CNN sources claim that the decrease in stockpiles has no impact on national security because the Pentagon does not supply Ukraine with the weapons that it does for its own backup needs. A senior official also told the news organisation that claims the US is “running out” of weapons are speculative because they depend on the degree of risk the Pentagon is prepared to take.
Officials say one of the big concerns is that the US defense industry is struggling to keep up with demand. However, to overcome the situation, the US government is trying to boost the production of some weapons.
