The U.S. Army needs Congress to approve $3.1 billion to buy 155-millimeter artillery rounds.
Doug Bush, the Chief Weapons Buyer for the Army, reported on this.
“The funding will expand production lines, strengthen the American economy, and create new jobs,” Doug Bush said.
According to Bush, about half of this amount is expected to be used to increase production capacity, and the rest will be used directly to purchase ammunition.
The United States, he added, plans to modernize or build 155-millimeter artillery production facilities across many states, including Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, and California.
The U.S. and allies have transferred more than 2 million rounds of 155 ammunition to Kyiv. The U.S. has also sent artillery to Israel as it fights Hamas.
In this regard, the United States plans to increase its monthly production rate for 155 millimeter artillery shells to 100,000 in 2025.
Bush noted that the US executive branch wishes to finance the production of other weapons, particularly to boost the annual production rate of Patriot air defense interceptors to 650 from 550.
The official noted that the requested funds are part of a funding package that the administration of US President Joe Biden had previously requested from Congress.
In late October, the US Air Force delivered a batch of 155-mm M795 artillery projectiles to Israel.
The projectiles were loaded at the Ramstein air base in Germany, which is the logistics center for the aid to Ukraine.
Before Hamas’s terrorist attack on October 7, part of the 155-mm ammunition was withdrawn from Israel’s military reserve to replenish the US stockpile in Europe.