Biden's Ukraine Proxy War Created Ammo Shortage, Weakened US

The US has struck deals with Bulgaria and South Korea to supply 155 mm ammunition to Ukraine, and is holding talks with Japan to do the same, according to Western media reports. Could the US solve the ammunition shortage problem in the near future?

The Biden administration is struggling to solve the Ukrainian ammo shortage dilemma as the Kiev regime forces use 8,000 155 mm shells daily, as per the Western press. Washington has reportedly concluded an agreement with South Korea and Bulgaria to deliver the much-needed ammo to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In addition, the US is currently holding talks with Japan on more shell supplies. Besides increasing ammunition supplies to Kiev via its allies, Washington is also going to ramp up domestic production of ammo from 24,000 to 90,000 units over the next two years.

"The foolish decisions of the Biden administration to ship millions of heavy artillery rounds to Ukraine and encourage US allies to do the same has created this ammunition shortage and there is no possibility to avoid it," David T. Pyne, an EMP Task Force scholar and former US Department of Defense officer, told Sputnik.

"NATO munition production capabilities are far lower than they were during the Cold War due to the much-reduced conventional threat posed to NATO by the Russian Federation until the outbreak of the [conflict] in Ukraine last year. Due to the ongoing ammunition shortage, the Biden administration has informed Ukraine that it will not be able to sustain this level of ammunition deliveries past the end of the summer and that they need to retake as much territory as possible from Russia in order to strengthen their negotiating position when they negotiate a peace settlement with Moscow later this year," Pyne continued.

How Much Would It Take for US to Replenish Depleted Shell Inventories?

The US is currently ramping up its own 155 mm artillery shell production by building new factories and enlarging the existing ones. However, it will take at least five to seven years to replenish the US' depleted 155 mm heavy artillery shell inventories which Washington has sent to Ukraine, according to the former Pentagon officer.

"The Biden administration continues to unilaterally disarm the US military of tens of thousands of critical heavy weapon systems and over 4.4 million missiles, rockets and heavy artillery shells according to the latest report I have seen," Pyne said.

The military expert argued that prolonging the conflict in Ukraine is "in opposition to US national security interests which are to restore peace and stability to Europe and greatly improve relations with Moscow while averting the immediate threat of escalation to a broader conflict."

Why Did Bulgaria and South Korea Agree to Provide Ammo to Ukraine?

Bulgaria and South Korea's reported nod to the US request appears to be a change of heart given their initial reluctance to provide weapons and ammo to Kiev. In particular, Seoul cited growing concerns over the possible use of its ammo in the conflict zone, according to the so-called Pentagon leaks.

"The US wields tremendous influence in Europe particularly with its NATO allies and even more so with South Korea which is entirely dependent on the US nuclear umbrella to deter North Korean attack," Pyne explained. "Clearly, the Biden administration pressured both governments to supply more ammunition to Ukraine. The conflict in Ukraine was caused by the foolish attempt of successive US administrations to try to expand its sphere of influence into Ukraine which Russia has long claimed as part of its own sphere of influence. The key to ending the conflict is that the Biden administration must expressly renounce any further attempts to bring Ukraine into NATO and support an armistice agreement along the current lines of control which provides for the permanent neutrality of Ukraine outside of NATO guaranteed by the US, UK and France."

Per the EMP Task Force scholar, the US and its NATO allies are already "suffering a serious ammunition shortage." He pointed out that "there is nothing that can be done in the near term to avoid it."

"The consequence of this ammunition shortage is that the US is now much less capable to fight, let alone win a great power war fought in Europe, the Western Pacific or East Asia," Pyne concluded.