Hulking C-17s filled with Javelins, Stingers, howitzers, and other weaponry are rushed to Eastern Europe practically daily from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to reinforce Ukraine’s military in its struggle against Russia.
President Joe Biden aims to highlight the game-changing impact of such weapons when he visits a Lockheed Martin factory in Alabama on Tuesday, which manufactures the portable Javelin anti-tank guns that have played a critical role in Ukraine.
But Biden’s visit highlights a rising issue as the crisis continues on: Can the US keep supplying massive amounts of armaments to Ukraine while simultaneously keeping a robust stockpile in case a new confrontation breaks with North Korea, Iran, or elsewhere?
According to Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ international security program, the US has already provided Ukraine with about 7,000 Javelins, including some delivered during the Trump administration, accounting for about one-third of its stockpile. Since the Russian invasion more than two months ago, the Biden administration claims to have supplied Ukraine roughly 5,500 dollars.
According to analysts, the US has delivered nearly a fourth of its inventory of shoulder-fired Stinger missiles to Ukraine. Due to supply shortages, Raytheon Technologies CEO Greg Hayes warned investors on a quarterly call last week that his business, which produces the weapons system, wouldn’t be able to scale up production until next year.
The Russian invasion presents a significant potential for profit growth for the US and European military industries, as legislators from Washington to Warsaw prepare to expand defense expenditure in reaction to Russian aggression. Defense contractors, on the other hand, confront the same supply chain and labor shortage issues as other manufacturers, as well as certain industry-specific issues.
Even before Russia’s invasion on February 24, military spending in the United States and throughout the world was increasing. In his proposed budget for 2023, Biden requested $773 billion for the Pentagon, a 4% yearly increase.
Some military firms, such as Raytheon, which produces the Stinger missiles that Ukrainian soldiers have used to shoot down Russian planes, will benefit from the battle. The Javelins are made by a joint venture between the business and Lockheed Martin.
