DemRATs love to expend our national security assets but they sure hate to replace them.
Posted on 07/11/2023 11:28:23 AM PDT by Red Badger
Democrat President Joe Biden has committed the biggest blunder in the history of modern warfare.
But the blame is not his alone, however, as Congress, led by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), deserves some of it too.
According to multiple media reports, and Biden’s own mouth, we are running out of ammunition because Ukraine is hoovering it all up.
Biden is also running the strategic oil reserve low for political reasons but running out of munitions is beyond the pale.
And begs the question, what are we getting for our nearly trillion-dollar-a-year defense budget?
Russia spends a fraction of what we spend and they are not running out of ammo.
“The Ukrainians are running out of ammunition,” Biden told CNN.
“This is a war relating to munitions.
“And they’re running out of that ammunition, and we’re low on it.”
David Sachs said: “According to the AP, it will take the U.S. 5 years to ramp production of 155mm artillery ammo to 85k shells per month.
“This is up from 14k shells/month pre-war and 20k shells/month at current production levels.
“Why the long ramp time? Obviously, artillery shells are more complicated to make than bullets.
“The Pentagon has to bid vendors who have to scale up production lines and in some cases set up new factories.
“Presumably one has to proceed with care when a mistake could blow up the entire operation.
“The problem is that even 85k shells/month would comprise less than half of Ukraine’s current usage level, which is 6,000-8,000 shells/day.
“Even at that pace, it is being significantly outgunned by Russia, which is reportedly expending 20k shells per day and as many as 50k on peak days.
“Zaluzhny confirmed this last week when he told the WashPost that at times the artillery gap is 10-to-1.
“The balance of artillery being so heavily in Russia’s favor was one of the key data points cited by Mearsheimer in explaining why he believes that Russia is winning the war.
“But rather than facing facts, pro-Ukraine partisans simply smear any dissent from their rosy scenarios as ‘Putin talking points.’
“Now Biden himself has acknowledged the ammo shortage, which is why he is giving Ukraine cluster bombs.
“Because remarkably, cluster bombs are the only type of 155mm ammo that the US has left available to give.
“And just to anticipate some of the replies: no, I’m not an Expert™️ on artillery, but I do have the capacity to read and do math, which is all it takes.”
From the AP:
The Army is spending about $1.5 billion to ramp up production of 155 mm rounds from 14,000 a month before Russia invaded Ukraine to over 85,000 a month by 2028, U.S. Army Undersecretary Gabe Camarillo told a symposium last month.
Already, the U.S. military has given Ukraine more than 1.5 million rounds of 155 mm ammunition, according to Army figures.
But even with higher near-term production rates, the U.S. cannot replenish its stockpile or catch up to the usage pace in Ukraine, where officials estimate that the Ukrainian military is firing 6,000 to 8,000 shells per day.
In other words, two days’ worth of shells fired by Ukraine equates to the United States’ monthly pre-war production figure.
Denialism about the ammunition shortage is putting America in a vulnerable position.
The US has been running around the world raiding its own stockpiles and seeking to borrow from allies like South Korea.
From Wall Street Journal in May:
The U.S. has provided more than two million 155mm artillery rounds to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, and its remaining supply has begun to dry up, forcing the U.S. on a global hunt for ammunition.
The Pentagon has raided its own stocks of artillery shells at sites in Germany, Israel, Kuwait and South Korea to make up for the shortfall, U.S. and congressional officials said.
According to The Wall Street Journal, in an article titled, “America Is Running Out of Ammo”:
The U.S. is ramping up to produce more than 20,000 shells a month this year and more in 2024, the U.S. Army says.
But America’s adversaries can do the math and understand the U.S. may struggle to support a long war.
The Biden crowd has cited limited stocks as a reason to withhold the Army Tactical Missile System, which could help Kyiv strike deep into Russian positions.
The Administration is now leaking that it might furnish the missiles as Ukraine’s summer offensive becomes a slog.
“Congress’s supplemental cash for Ukraine is helping refill America’s armory, but Mr. Biden has an obligation to make sure the U.S. never goes Winchester, as the saying has it, and not only for Ukraine,” the WSJ said.
The lesson applies to the long-range missiles the U.S. may need if China decides to strike Taiwan.
We’ll be entirely defenseless soon.
You act as if Biden is in charge…
That's the plan, to deliver us up more easily to Biden's patron, China. The evil of him cannot be overstated, though he be clothed in dementia.
To be expected when you put a crooked Pinhead in charge.
All part of the fundamental transformation of the US that began on January 20, 2009 with the swearing in of Barack Hussein Obama. This third term of his is well on the way to that transformation.
You might as well blame the turnip someone threw through your window as blame VegPres.
Some FReepers made this point maybe a year ago only to be called Putin puffers. Our executiv branch is ruled by a coven of neocon vampires.
I grew up rather close to a steel mill that rolled battleship and tank armor for WW 2. After the war it made steel for bridges and such. The mill is gone now, replaced by a dollar store and a few fast-food restaurants.
I don’t claim to be an expert. But I don’t think a dollar store or a McDonalds can be easily converted to produce munitions.
China is getting ready to make their move.
Better start brushing up on your Mandarin.
Have they never heard of the Battle of Kursk?
Where are all the peace protesters who would be encircling the White House by now with all their signs, chants and drums, if a Republican controlled the White House?
Obama was supposed to have brought in a new day, world peace, by making the United States weaker and more non-threatening, and by the sheer force of his personage, according to Michelle. Remember? We all were supposed to jump high to live up to his expectations for his approval.
Looks like it did not work out.
By the way, Biden is not committing a blunder. It is by design. Getting rid of our strategic oil reserve, selling it to China, is a sure sign.
“We’ll be entirely defenseless soon.”
We already are. Over 2 million per year pouring across the southern border and resettling inside the homeland. Resettlement costs living expenses, medical care, and education for these “migrants” is being funded by taxing citizens. Why have a military if you aren’t going to protect your own borders against a massive invasion?
I imagine lots of scumbags’ pockets are being generously lined.
Many of these were brand new, state of the art facilities for the time that had been build during the Reagan defense build up.
Bill Clinton shut them down and cut them apart for scrap.
We now rely primarily on commercial defense contractors.
We have ours.
Biden is in charge. He’s just working for the other boss.
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