The Pentagon is looking to grow its munitions industrial base as Russia’s war in Ukraine has rapidly depleted U.S. stockpiles of missiles and ammunition.
The details of the Defense Department’s $842 billion budget request for fiscal year 2024, revealed Monday, boosts arms makers with $30.6 billion for missiles and munitions — nearly 12 percent more than what was enacted last year.
It also employs multiyear contracts, typically reserved for ships and aircraft, which allow defense companies to make weapons in bulk and count on steady production demand over several years.
Officials say the move is meant to counter an aggressive China, Russia and Iran and ready the country for a future fight.
“This latest budget expands production capacity even more and procures the maximum amount of munitions that are most relevant for deterring and, if necessary, prevailing over aggression in the Indo-Pacific,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks told reporters Monday.
She noted that almost one-third of the munitions budget request is for long-range fires, including hypersonic missiles and subsonic weapons.
“When it comes to munitions, make no mistake: we are buying to the limits of the industrial base, even as we are expanding those limits. And we’re continuing to cut through red tape and accelerate timelines,” she said.
Pentagon Comptroller Mike McCord, who later spoke to reporters as part of the budget rollout, said “Ukraine has really informed and highlighted the need to up our game here” as far as the munitions request.
But he pressed that not all the requested missiles are meant to replace those shipped to Ukraine. Rather, they are seen as deterrence for an aggressive China in the Indo-Pacific.
