The United States’ defense industrial base is not prepared for a battle over Taiwan because it would run out of crucial munitions such as long-range, precision-guided ones in less than one week, according to a new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Though it has likely prevented a Russian conquest in Ukraine, U.S. military aid has drained Pentagon stocks and proven that the U.S. defense industry cannot stand for a large battle, according to the report.
“Given the lead time for industrial production, it would likely be too late for the defense industry to ramp up production if a war were to occur without major changes.” CSIS senior vice president Seth Jones wrote.
The study mentions that U.S. military stocks of Javelin anti-tank weapons, Stinger anti-aircraft weapons, counter-artillery radars, and 155mm artillery shells are low, with a particular emphasis on the vast quantity of weapons sent to Ukraine.
It is questionable whether they could be replaced in the midst of a war because it takes more than 20 months to make several of the munitions viewed as essential in a Taiwan scenario, including Tomahawk missiles, Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles, Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, and Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles.
The report highlights U.S. military aid to Ukraine, criticizes the FMS system and bureaucratic barriers for defense contracting and U.S. arms sales, and advises that the Pentagon reexamine its munition requirements with an eye toward Europe and the Pacific, based on operational plans, wartime scenarios, and analyses.
