Efforts NATOto increase the production capacity of artillery ammunition are bringing results. According to reports from the Alliance headquarters in Brusselsalready this year Member States are to produce 2 million 155 mm bullets. This is much more than before and it is quite an impressive turnaround in the industry, a NATO official told DPA shortly before Thursday's (October 17) meeting of defense ministers.
At the same time, he admitted that there is still too little ammunition produced and that it is still too expensive. On the other hand Russia may, according to Western intelligence services, produce about 3 million artillery shells a yearwhich gives it an advantage in the war in Ukraine. The defense industry in NATO countries was not previously geared to such high demand, which also means that military aid for Ukraine is insufficient.
A task for the new secretary
To increase efficiency and lower costsproduction standardization is also expected to accelerate. To this end, 32 NATO countries want to commission the new Secretary General, Mark Rutte, to develop standardization plans. These should include ways to better connect the defense industry within NATO and ensure that standards already agreed are actually implemented.
As an example of how this should not look, the Alliance cites problems in the German-Dutch corps. In this multinational unit, Dutch standard 155 mm ammunition cannot be used in German howitzers and vice versa.
(DPA/mar)
The article comes from the website Deutsche Welle