We need to rethink the Western way of war. Missiles and other munitions need to be mass produced in short order in the next long and large war. ⬇️
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has a great short read focusing on the consumables of combat and how the United States has relied heavily on seven key missiles in its conflict against Iran – five of which are also used by the Australian Defence Force:
“Rebuilding to prewar levels for the seven munitions will take from one to four years as missiles in the pipeline are delivered. These missiles will also be critical for a potential Western Pacific conflict. Even before the Iran war, stockpiles were deemed insufficient for a peer competitor fight. That shortfall is now even more acute, and building stockpiles to levels adequate for a war with China will take additional time.”
CSIS analysis of these seven key missiles shows how dependent the West’s way of war currently is on exquisite million dollar missiles built on artisan assembly lines:
◾Tomahawk – $2.6 mil per unit cost and 47 months delivery timeline
◾JASSM – $2.6 mil per unit cost and 48 months delivery timeline
◾PrSM – $1.6 mil per unit cost and 46 months delivery timeline
◾SM-3 – $28.7 mil per unit cost and 64 months delivery timeline
◾SM-6 – $5.3 mil per unit cost and 53 months delivery timeline
◾THAAD – $15.5 mil per unit cost and 53 months delivery timeline
◾Patriot – $3.9 mil per unit cost and 42 months delivery timeline
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is also reporting on the flow on impacts of a rapidly reducing stockpile of key munitions. With so many nations dependent on the United States for limited manufacturing capacity of key munitions, this conflict should serve as a wake up call to those simply standing in queue rather than building sovereign capability or onshore manufacturing capacity:
“Global stocks of missile interceptors needed for air defence systems were ‘nearly empty’ as a result of the US-Israel war on Iran. Analysts say weapons pressures could end up affecting the duration of conflict, with sizeable holes already blown in high-end munitions stockpiles. They predict it could take years for some supplies to be replenished, making US allies ‘nervous’ about the West’s military readiness for other potential conflicts.”
Ukraine is already highlighting ‘shell hunger’ as the supply of critical air and missile defence munitions has dried up while the US prioritises the Middle East area of operations. This is a topic we regularly post about that should be a priority if we seek to build national resilience and a strong deterrence – food for thought as always.
📷 of a US Patriot System via Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and articles mentioned are in the comments.