Keeping Pace With Russian And Chinese Military Buildups And Defending American Interests Requires Congress To Urgently Approve Crucial Security Funding

As Conflicts Continue Around The World, The U.S. And The West Are Falling Behind China And Russia In Weapons Production Capabilities

“America’s defense industry is struggling to achieve the kind of speed and responsiveness to stay ahead in a high-tech arms race with competitors such as China, an unreleased draft of a new Pentagon report on the defense industry warns.” (“Pentagon: US Arms Industry Struggling To Keep Up With China,” Politico, 12/02/2024)

• “As it stands now, the U.S. defense 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,’ according to a draft version of the report, obtained by POLITICO.” (“Pentagon: US Arms Industry Struggling To Keep Up With China,” Politico, 12/02/2024)

• “The document, dated Nov. 27, adds that ‘just as significantly, the traditional defense contractors in the [defense industrial base] would be challenged to respond to modern conflict at the velocity, scale, and flexibility necessary to meet the dynamic requirements of a major modern conflict.’” (“Pentagon: US Arms Industry Struggling To Keep Up With China,” Politico, 12/02/2024)

• “It notes that America builds the best weapons in the world, but it can’t produce them quickly enough. ‘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,’ the study says.” (“Pentagon: US Arms Industry Struggling To Keep Up With China,” Politico, 12/02/2024)

“The report notes that after the Cold War, the defense industry shrank as companies merged. Yet China has spent the past 30 years becoming a ‘global industrial powerhouse’ in shipbuilding, critical minerals and microelectronics. 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,’ it says.” (“Pentagon: US Arms Industry Struggling To Keep Up With China,” Politico, 12/02/2024)

‘With The West Confronting A Rising Number Of Potential Threats, Including Russia And China, Orders Are Piling Up’: ‘I’ve Never Seen Anywhere Near So Much Demand’

“A factory here west of Oslo [Norway] produces a missile-defense system that can shoot down drones, helicopters and other airborne threats from almost 25 miles away. Capable of launching 72 missiles into the sky at once, the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or Nasams, is what protects the airspace over the White House. When first deployed in Ukraine in 2022, it recorded a 100% success rate shooting down cruise missiles and drones in its first few months.” (“The West Badly Needs More Missiles—But The Wait To Buy Them Is Years Long,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/03/2024)

• “With the West confronting a rising number of potential threats, including Russia and China, orders are piling up for the Nasams from Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. ‘I’ve never seen anywhere near so much demand,’ said Eirik Lie, a 30-year Kongsberg veteran who is president of the company’s defense unit, on a November tour of the factory.” (“The West Badly Needs More Missiles—But The Wait To Buy Them Is Years Long,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/03/2024)

• “New customers, though, will have to wait: It takes two years to make one Nasams, and there is already a multiyear backlog.” (“The West Badly Needs More Missiles—But The Wait To Buy Them Is Years Long,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/03/2024)

‘Pentagon Officials Are Increasingly Alarmed Not Just At The Threat To U.S. Naval Forces And International Shipping — But At The Growing Cost Of Keeping Them Safe’

“As American warships rack up kills against Houthi drones and missiles in the Red Sea, Pentagon officials are increasingly alarmed not just at the threat to U.S. naval forces and international shipping — but at the growing cost of keeping them safe.” (“A $2M Missile Vs. A $2,000 Drone: Pentagon Worried Over Cost Of Houthi Attacks,” Politico, 12/20/2023)

“The cost of using expensive naval missiles — which can run up to $2.1 million a shot — to destroy unsophisticated Houthi drones — estimated at a few thousand dollars each — is a growing concern, according to three other DOD officials.” (“A $2M Missile Vs. A $2,000 Drone: Pentagon Worried Over Cost Of Houthi Attacks,” Politico, 12/20/2023)

“‘Right now, [the] U.S. does not seem to have a better option other than what it is using,’ said Samuel Bendett, an adviser with the Center for Naval Analyses, a federally funded think tank for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. He drew a parallel of the DOD’s capabilities to Ukraine’s, as it shoots down Russian drones. ‘Obviously, that’s a different domain — shooting Houthi drones at sea may be a different-order task, but it seems that driving down the cost of such defenses is essential in the long term,’ Bendett said.” (“A $2M Missile Vs. A $2,000 Drone: Pentagon Worried Over Cost Of Houthi Attacks,” Politico, 12/20/2023)

‘The Ukraine War Has Highlighted The West’s Deficiencies In Quickly Producing More Weapons At A Time Of Need’

“The Ukraine war has highlighted the West’s deficiencies in quickly producing more weapons at a time of need. The Gaza conflict may tighten supplies for certain armaments.” (“The West Badly Needs More Missiles—But The Wait To Buy Them Is Years Long,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/03/2024)

• “The constraint is particularly acute for missiles and the systems that defend against them, and also guard against the swarms of drones that have become a central element of modern warfare.” (“The West Badly Needs More Missiles—But The Wait To Buy Them Is Years Long,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/03/2024)

• “Ten of the West’s largest defense companies alone are currently sitting on order books worth over $730 billion, up around 57% from the end of 2017, when demand started ramping up.” (“The West Badly Needs More Missiles—But The Wait To Buy Them Is Years Long,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/03/2024)

“‘We all have to increase our production,’ said Pentagon acquisition chief Bill LaPlante at a November conference. He held one hand high and the other low and said: ‘The worldwide demand is here, the ability to supply is about here.’” (“The West Badly Needs More Missiles—But The Wait To Buy Them Is Years Long,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/03/2024)

• “Much of the West’s ability to make weapons, particularly in Europe, has been eroded as defense budgets fell after the Cold War and by gradual deindustrialization.” (“The West Badly Needs More Missiles—But The Wait To Buy Them Is Years Long,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/03/2024)

• “While flush with higher defense budgets, the West hasn’t faced the same supply constraints since perhaps the Korean War, some military analysts say.” (“The West Badly Needs More Missiles—But The Wait To Buy Them Is Years Long,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/03/2024)

‘The Shortages Will Affect’ The U.S. And NATO’s ‘Ability To Fight’

“Leading U.S. and NATO officials are increasingly raising concerns that the shortages will affect their ability to fight.” (“The West Badly Needs More Missiles—But The Wait To Buy Them Is Years Long,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/03/2024)

• “In a wargame simulation published in early 2023 of how the U.S. would respond to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the Center for Strategic & International Studies estimated America would run out of all-important long-range antiship missiles within the first week.” (“The West Badly Needs More Missiles—But The Wait To Buy Them Is Years Long,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/03/2024)

• “The U.S. wouldn’t be able to replenish its stock quickly: As with the Nasams, each missile takes about two years to make.” (“The West Badly Needs More Missiles—But The Wait To Buy Them Is Years Long,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/03/2024)

‘Russia And China Have Outpaced The U.S. And Europe On Some Missile And Defense Systems’

“The threat from the sky has expanded due to the prevalence of drones—both the remotely piloted aircraft that can deliver Hellfire and other missiles as well as hobbyist-type drones with smaller explosives—and the development of hypersonic missiles that can fly more than five times the speed of sound and maneuver to their target, making them harder to shoot down. Russia and China have outpaced the U.S. and Europe on some missile and defense systems.” (“The West Badly Needs More Missiles—But The Wait To Buy Them Is Years Long,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/03/2024)

• “Russia and China together have around 5,020 land-based air-defense missile systems, compared with around 3,200 fielded by the U.S., Europe and Japan combined, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a defense think tank.” (“The West Badly Needs More Missiles—But The Wait To Buy Them Is Years Long,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/03/2024)

• “Predictions that Russia would soon run out of missiles in Ukraine were incorrect. In November, Ukrainian intelligence estimated that Russia is able to produce about 100 total of two different types of cruise missile, four Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missiles and five ballistic missiles every month.” (“The West Badly Needs More Missiles—But The Wait To Buy Them Is Years Long,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/03/2024)

• “China’s inventory has gone up from what analysts said was a handful of nonnuclear ballistic missiles in 1996, to what the U.S. now estimates is more than 3,000 ballistic and cruise missiles.” (“The West Badly Needs More Missiles—But The Wait To Buy Them Is Years Long,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/03/2024)

“Today, Russian officials have remade their economy to focus on defense production. With revenue from high energy prices, Russia’s security services and ministry of defense have been able to smuggle in the microelectronics and other Western materials required for cruise missiles and other precision guided weaponry. As a result, military production has not only recovered but surged.” (“Russia Overcomes Sanctions to Expand Missile Production, Officials Say,” The New York Times, 9/13/2023)

• “Before the war, one senior Western defense official said, Russia could make 100 tanks a year; now they are producing 200. Western officials also believe Russia is on track to manufacture two million artillery shells a year — double the amount Western intelligence services had initially estimated Russia could manufacture before the war. As a result of the push, Russia is now producing more ammunition than the United States and Europe. Overall, Kusti Salm, a senior Estonian defense ministry official, estimated that Russia’s current ammunition production is seven times greater than that of the West.” (“Russia Overcomes Sanctions to Expand Missile Production, Officials Say,” The New York Times, 9/13/2023)

“The Russian government proposed a new budget that shows the Kremlin is mobilizing its economy for a long war of attrition. Defense spending in the new budget will account for 29.4%, or nearly one-third, of Russia’s total budget expenditure in 2024.” (“Russia Is Gearing Up For A Long War. Will The West Follow Suit?” DefenseNews, 12/07/2023)

• “Russia is also pressing ahead with efforts to increase the domestic production of military hardware, including tanks, rocket launchers, artillery and missiles by more than twofold and, in certain cases, by tenfold — at least according to representatives of Russia’s state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec.” (“Russia Is Gearing Up For A Long War. Will The West Follow Suit?” DefenseNews, 12/07/2023)

Meanwhile, Iran, North Korea, And China Continue To Supply Russia With Weapons And Materiel For The Kremlin’s War of Aggression

“Russia appears to be moving forward with plans to purchase ballistic missiles from Iran, a US official told CNN, as Moscow steps up its missile attacks on targets across Ukraine.” (“Russia Appears Poised To Purchase Ballistic Missiles From Iran, Official Says,” CNN, 1/04/2024)

“The potential weapons deal comes as the US has run out of funding to provide to Ukraine until Congress approves the administration’s emergency supplemental request.” (“Russia Appears Poised To Purchase Ballistic Missiles From Iran, Official Says,” CNN, 1/04/2024)

• “Russia, meanwhile, has dramatically intensified its missile attacks on Ukrainian targets across the country in recent days, and has maintained its defense partnership with Iran.” (“Russia Appears Poised To Purchase Ballistic Missiles From Iran, Official Says,” CNN, 1/04/2024)

• “The provision of ballistic missiles would mark a significant escalation of Iran’s support for Russia.” (“Russia Appears Poised To Purchase Ballistic Missiles From Iran, Official Says,” CNN, 1/04/2024)

“The Iranian missiles would add to Moscow’s recent acquisitions, which include ballistic-missile launchers and several dozen ballistic missiles from North Korea, the officials said.” (“Russia Moves Forward With Plans to Buy Iranian Ballistic Missiles,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/04/2024)

“[Last week], National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Russian forces fired at least one of the missiles into Ukraine last week and that it had landed in an empty field. Several days earlier, Russia had launched multiple North Korean ballistic missiles, which have a range of about 550 miles, and the U.S. was still assessing those attacks, Kirby said.” (“Russia Moves Forward With Plans to Buy Iranian Ballistic Missiles,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/04/2024)

• “In the past several weeks, North Korea has begun to ship a range of weaponry to Russia, including, for the first time, short-range ballistic missiles to eastern Russia, according to several officials familiar with the transaction. The weaponry includes previously reported stocks of artillery, officials said.” (“Russia Moves Forward With Plans to Buy Iranian Ballistic Missiles,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/04/2024)

• “North Korea recently provided Russia with ballistic missile launchers and several dozen ballistic missiles, said a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss U.S. intelligence.” (“Russia Fires Missiles Supplied By North Korea Into Ukraine, Says U.S. Intelligence,” The Washington Post, 1/04/2024)

“Russia has demonstrated a remarkable degree of adaptability to Western sanctions. It has established sanction-evading supply chains spanning several regions and continents, from Europe to the Indo-Pacific. It has found alternative suppliers such as China, which has sold millions of dollars’ worth of semiconductors, drones and other types of dual-use goods to Russia since 2022.” (“Russia Is Gearing Up For A Long War. Will The West Follow Suit?” DefenseNews, 12/07/2023)

‘Russia Is Building A Drone-Manufacturing Facility In Country With Iran’s Help That Could Have A Significant Impact’

“Iran has already provided Russia with hundreds of drones that Russian forces have used in their war against Ukraine, and Russia is building a drone-manufacturing facility in country with Iran’s help that could have a significant impact on the war in Ukraine once it is completed, CNN has reported.” (“Russia Appears Poised To Purchase Ballistic Missiles From Iran, Official Says,” CNN, 1/04/2024)

‘Pyongyang Was Seeking Fighter Planes, Surface To Air Missiles, Armored Vehicles, Ballistic Missile Technology And Other Military Technology In Return For Providing Missiles To Russia’

“Pyongyang was seeking fighter planes, surface to air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile technology and other military technology in return for providing missiles to Russia, he [Kirby] added.” (“Russia Moves Forward With Plans to Buy Iranian Ballistic Missiles,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/04/2024)

“Other American officials have reported that the North is also seeking more help on the range and accuracy of its intercontinental ballistic missiles, which it has repeatedly tested in recent months. But it is not clear whether Russia has agreed to further help the North on these nuclear-capable missiles. In the past, North Korea has relied heavily on what appeared to be Russian missile designs, but it has never been clear how closely it has worked with Russian engineers.” (“White House Says North Korea Providing Russia With Ballistic Missiles,” The New York Times, 1/04/2024)

• “Engulfed in a grinding war of attrition and facing international sanctions, Russia has also turned to North Korea to supplement its efforts to produce arms at home.” (“Russia Moves Forward With Plans to Buy Iranian Ballistic Missiles,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/04/2024)

“Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a summit at a spaceport in Russia’s Far East in September and pledged greater cooperation on economic and security issues.” (“Russia Moves Forward With Plans to Buy Iranian Ballistic Missiles,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/04/2024)

• “Since then North Korea has shipped hundreds of containers of artillery shells to Russia.” (“White House Says North Korea Providing Russia With Ballistic Missiles,” The New York Times, 1/04/2024)

“Such a move by North Korea poses two major challenges to the United States. It suggests that Russia is bolstering its own production of missiles with new supplies at a time when Congress is still holding up additional aid to Ukraine, including for artillery and air defense systems. And it suggests that Russia, which once cooperated with the United States in trying to restrain North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, is now considering helping the North develop better delivery systems.” (“White House Says North Korea Providing Russia With Ballistic Missiles,” The New York Times, 1/04/2024)

‘Russia Has Been Looking For Ways To Overcome Ukrainian Air Defenses By Increasing The Number Of Missiles Launched’

“Russia has been looking for ways to overcome Ukrainian air defenses by increasing the number of missiles launched, and adjusting the types of weapons it is using…” (“Russia Moves Forward With Plans to Buy Iranian Ballistic Missiles,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/04/2024)

• AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE DIRECTOR OF THE CRITICAL THREATS PROJECT FRED KAGAN: “The strikes that Russia has executed in recent days demonstrate the importance to the Russians of having a large supply of ballistic missiles… Having enough ballistic missiles in their arsenal is a very important part of that…” (“Russia Moves Forward With Plans to Buy Iranian Ballistic Missiles,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/04/2024)

“Russia has already acquired a large number of drones from Iran to attack Ukraine. Moscow and Tehran have also been building a new factory in Russia that could make thousands of drones for the conflict, U.S. officials have said.” (“Russia Moves Forward With Plans to Buy Iranian Ballistic Missiles,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/04/2024)