Is there an ammunition shortage in the US Military?

[AskNott]

Okay, there was a widely ignored story in the Financial Times and the Houston Chronicle claiming the US government was asking for private-sector help to alleviate a shortage of military small-arms ammunition. If it's true, it would seem to point to a massive planning blunder in the US Dept. of Defense. :wally

All right, what's known about it? Did the FT misunderstand something? Is it the ugly truth? Is it something in between?

[Chairman Pow]

Apparently so: http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/glob...00419&fid=1725

http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/news/21194.php

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/29/po...llets.html?8br

Here's another one: how many posts until someone says, "they could conserve ammunition by not bombing any more wedding parties?"

[postcards]

They could conserve ammunition by not bombing any more wedding parties.

Sorry. Carry on.

[AskNott]

Even if we ignore the wedding party factor and the local proclivity to express happiness by shooting guns in the air, it should have occurred to somebody, somebody, that combat would use up a lot of cartridges. Hey! Wake up in there! Sheeesh!

[MaryEFoo]

Hey, per Cecil today we (the US) export $33 billion in arms per year. Maybe other customers are outbidding the Department of Defense.

[Shalmanese]

Unrelated anecdote but a couple of years ago, it was revealed that the Australian army could not afford ammunition for training exercises so the SOP was for soldiers to run around the woods shouting "bang" at each other.

[Loach]

Unrelated anecdote but a couple of years ago, it was revealed that the Australian army could not afford ammunition for training exercises so the SOP was for soldiers to run around the woods shouting "bang" at each other.

That seems a lot better than what seems to be the alternative: running around the woods shooting at each other.

[Loach]

Okay, there was a widely ignored story in the Financial Times and the Houston Chronicle claiming the US government was asking for private-sector help to alleviate a shortage of military small-arms ammunition. If it's true, it would seem to point to a massive planning blunder in the US Dept. of Defense.

I couldn't get the NY Times link without paying for it but by reading the other link the answer is no there is no shortage, and no there is not a "massive planning blunder" and no, they are not looking for "help". They are planning and doing their jobs. They are projecting that the current contractor will not be able to meet demand and are seeking to solve the problem before it affects anyone. That is logistics The "help" they are seeking are additional contactors. You make it seem like they are looking for donations. . BTW most of the ammo is being used up for training, not combat. It takes a lot of ammo to train and mobilize units as they get ready to replace units in Iraq and Afganistan. Despite what you might think, the vast majority of troops in either theater will never have to fire their weapon in combat. However all of them will have fired hundreds or thousands of rounds in training before they even arrive in theater.

[Dr. Lao]

Right, Loach, there's no shortage now. But presumably were they prepared for the length of the current engagement they would have projected the need for greater production and made arrangements prior to the outbreak of hostilities.

[Loach]

But presumably were they prepared for the length of the current engagement they would have projected the need for greater production and made arrangements prior to the outbreak of hostilities.

Thats right, crystal balls are not in the Army inventory. They are able to project a problem in the future and fix it before it is a problem. Good logistics. I remember back in, IIRC , '92 sitting around for a month because there was no fuel for our helicopters. We had to wait until the new fiscal year started so we could fly again. Thats bad logistics.