Pentagon unveils military-industrial strategy

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has exposed “vulnerabilities” in global supply chains that require action by the Western military-industrial complex, the US Department of Defense has said.

The industries of the US and its allies have struggled to meet Ukraine’s needs in weapons and ammunition and need to “become more agile and resilient,” the Pentagon argued in the implementation plan for the National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS), released on Tuesday.

“This implementation plan offers industry, global allies, and partners clear direction on the Department’s priorities for industrial capacity building,” Laura Taylor-Kale, assistant secretary for industrial base policy, told reporters in a briefing.

According to Bill LaPlante, undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment, the implementation plan is intended to “serve as a guiding framework for resourcing decisions and investments in the coming years,” from informing budget priorities and determining the focus of research and development efforts, to driving the Pentagon’s “engagement with industry.”

The plan outlines how to address shortfalls in critically important chemicals, casting and forgings, micro electronics, and the industrial base needed for hypersonic weapons, with an estimated $393.4 million in Defense Production Act funding.

“There’s a real concern around supply chain vulnerabilities,” Taylor-Kale said, noting the presence of “adversarial sources in our supply chains” and sometimes having only one source of parts.

Another part of the plan involves boosting domestic production of 155mm artillery shells to the tune of several billion dollars, and having the US Army modernize its ammunition plants and depots.

Among the six key initiatives outlined in the plan are investments to “onshore” the most critical components and materials, collaborate with industries of allied countries, develop new capabilities using “flexible pathways,” and modernize existing weapons systems, such as the nuclear triad. Another initiative would protect US intellectual property and guard against “adversary investment.”

The Pentagon hopes the NDIS plan will inform policy in Washington no matter who gets elected president in November. The military has requested $37.73 billion to implement the strategy, out of the $849.8 billion budget sought for the 2025 fiscal year. More than 75% of that funding has been earmarked for missiles and ammunition, while around $4 billion would go to the submarine industrial base.

A classified annex to the plan, including more details about vulnerabilities and proposed solutions, is currently being put together and should be ready by the end of the year, according to Taylor-Kale.

The US and its allies have funneled over $100 billion worth of weapons, equipment, and ammunition to Ukraine since the conflict with Russia escalated in February 2022, while insisting that this does not make them a party to the hostilities. Moscow has repeatedly warned about the potential for escalation that this represents, while saying the weapons deliveries will not change the outcome on the battlefield.