The Army is far short of its 155 millimeter artillery ammunition production targets and that shortfall could directly impact the U.S. and its allies in future wars, the Pentagon’s inspector general warned in a major new report released publicly this week.
In the report, the watchdog examined whether the Army and its defense industry partners are hitting the 155 mm ammunition targets outlined in the Pentagon’s National Defense Industrial Strategy Implementation Plan, which called for monthly production of at least 100,000 rounds by October 2025.
As of March, the Army had increased its total monthly production to just 36,000 rounds. The inspector general said production is expected to hit 71,000 rounds per month, but that’s still nearly 30% short of the overall goal.
The 155 mm artillery rounds are crucial for the U.S. military and the armed forces of allies such as Ukraine and Israel, both of which have received huge quantities of the ammunition in recent years.
The inability of the Pentagon and its contractors to meet the demand for 155 mm rounds is a tangible example of the broader challenges confronting the nation’s defense industrial base. National security insiders say the U.S. defense industrial base currently cannot produce weapons, ammunition, and other key warfighting tools quickly enough.
In a worst-case scenario, that could mean the U.S. doesn’t have enough artillery rounds in a future war with China, for example.
The Pentagon’s “inability to increase capability and capacity to produce 155-mm artillery ammunition at its goal of 100,000 rounds per month could decrease the [military’s] readiness and increase its risk of not meeting the operational needs of the United States, allies, and partner nations in potential future conflicts,” the inspector general’s report reads in part.
The watchdog review singled out a production facility in Mesquite, Texas, and described it as being “unable to produce any projectile metal parts that meet contract specifications.”
The inspector general said the specific shortfall in producing the projectile metal parts for 155 mm rounds is the root of the problem.
The Mesquite facility, operated by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, was expected to produce 30,000 rounds of 155 mm ammunition each month, the report said.
In a statement to the news outlet Breaking Defense, the company said it reached an agreement with the Army in which the company will invest more money to complete the project and ramp up production.
“We appreciate the collaborative efforts of the U.S. Army in working toward a positive resolution that enables this facility to deliver essential munitions to the U.S. military,” the statement said.
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