DOD Ammunition

July 2005
DEFENSE
AMMUNITION
DOD Meeting Small
and Medium Caliber
Ammunition Needs,
but Additional Actions
Are Necessary
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05687.pdf

Ammunition supply stands as absolutely essential in maintenance of an effective Military force. The Republican President, backed by a Republican-dominated Congress, is managing to bottleneck this military component.

Between fiscal years 2000 and 2005, total requirements for small caliber
ammunitions more than doubled, from about 730 million to nearly 1.8 billion
rounds, while total requirements for medium caliber ammunitions increased
from 11.7 million rounds to almost 22 million rounds.

First, the PEO plans to increase Lake
City’s production capacity to 1.5 billion rounds per year by March 2006
through additional modernization. Moreover, the PEO is in the process of
selecting a commercial contractor that will provide an additional
300 million small caliber ammunition rounds per year. This commercial
producer will serve as a second source in addition to Lake City, to meet
small caliber ammunition needs. The contract is to be awarded in mid
2005, with initial deliveries to start in January 2007. Also, the PEO is
requiring that this commercial source be able to supply an additional
200 million rounds of small caliber ammunition, if requirements continue
to increase.

In the event that future small caliber ammunition requirements were to
decrease, which would likely happen if war fighting operations were
scaled back, the PEO plans to reduce the amount of ammunition produced
at Lake City, while maintaining the 300 million rounds of ammunition
production provided by the commercial producer. According to a PEO
official, the reduction at Lake City will be accomplished by reducing the
number of work shifts rather than by storing or mothballing equipment.

Where is the Problem?

Current DOD ammunition requirements rival the needs of WWII, when more than a dozen Ammunition plants operated. Three Government-owned plants still operate, but the most important one cannot meet current Ammunition needs. The Republican-run DOD would farm out Ammunition needs to private Business--even worse--foreign Production capacity. The majority of Production must still be met by three Plants, extremely subject to Military or Terrorist attack; Production which the Military has to possess. Foreign Suppliers can be invested by Enemy forces, be blockaded from delivery, or alter their own Production delivery to serve Interests counter to American national policy.

We need three Plants to supply medium caliber Ammunition, not the underdeveloped two Plants which We possess. We also need three Plants to supply small caliber Ammunition, not the singular, over-extended Plant We have at Lake City. Dispersal of Ammunition Supply capacity is essential. These new Plants need to be Government-owned, and subject to being taken over, and directly run by the Military. Any Military authority, inside or outside the Government, will state extended Lines of Communication are most attackable by any Enemy. No One in their right mind would buy Ammunition half a World away, to import it, then send it clear across the World. lgl