The US needs to modernize its approach to munitions
By Gen. Joseph Martin (ret.) and Lt. Gen. David Deptula (ret.)
Friday, Aug 4
In the face of rising threats to the U.S. and the constraints on military budgets, the Defense Department’s munitions enterprise requires a systemic review and development of a strategic plan. This plan would lay out production and fielding objectives for modernized and affordable weapons.
Congress identified this need in the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, calling for just such a plan. Recognizing the importance of munitions modernization, the department stood up the Joint Production Accelerator Cell within its acquisition office. It is tasked with “building enduring industrial production capacity, resiliency, and surge capability for key defense weapon systems and supplies.”
However, the administration’s expression of the need for “new thinking” on munitions modernization does not appear to be translating into industry innovation and revitalization but simply additional purchases of the same antiquated systems and thinking.
In November 2021, the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies released a policy paper, “Affordable Mass: The Need for a Cost-Effective PGM Mix for Great Power Conflict.” The report states that after decades of deferred and canceled modernization programs, the Air Force’s lead over America’s threats is eroding, and its forces are undersized for the operational demands of the National Defense Strategy.
https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/2023/08/04/the-us-needs-to-modernize-its-approach-to-munitions/
