US Lawmakers Unveil New Legislation to Ensure Pentagon Has Sufficient Munitions Stocks

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - A group of US senators unveiled new legislation to ensure the United States has sufficient munitions stocks and is ready for potential overseas contingencies amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and increased tensions around Taiwan, Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s press office said in a release.

"US Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Thom Tillis, members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced new legislation today that would ensure the U.S. has sufficient critical munition stocks to support allies and partners in a crisis without depleting U.S. military stocks," the release said on Monday.

The new legislation dubbed The Promoting Readiness for Overseas Contingencies and Unexpected Responses to Exigencies Act (PROCURE) provides for establishing a Critical Munitions Acquisition Fund to allow the Defense Secretary to better manage industry production lines and sustain particular munitions lines that are critical to US national security interests, the release said.

"Our bipartisan PROCURE Act is essential to improving America’s capacity to quickly arm our allies in potential future conflicts without drawing from our own munitions stock, which will greatly enhance our national security and military readiness," Tillis said in the release.

The authors of the bill plan to file it as an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act in the coming days, the release added.

Earlier on Monday, lawmakers in Congress reportedly agreed to include a nearly $12 billion aid package for Ukraine in a stop-gap spending bill in response to a Biden administration request for funding.