U.S. to increase ammunition production fourfold: Details

"And during this administration, America’s production of artillery shells won’t just increase. It won’t just double. It will quadruple," stated Austin.

He also emphasized that the high rate of artillery usage in Ukraine convincingly demonstrates the need for significant investments in the development of ammunition.

"So compared to the defense budget from just five years ago, we’re putting nearly 50 percent more money into munitions," he added.

The head of the Pentagon also announced that the United States has initiated the most ambitious modernization of the defense-industrial complex in nearly 40 years.

"Some $50 billion of our supplemental budget request would flow through our defense industrial base. And that will create or support tens of thousands of good American jobs in more than 30 states. That includes making missiles in Arizona; vehicles in Wisconsin and Indiana; and artillery shells in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas," highlighted Austin.

Ammunition for Ukraine

At the end of last winter, it became known that the Armed Forces of Ukraine were facing a shortage of artillery shells. Therefore, in early May, the Council of the European Union adopted a decision to provide assistance to Ukraine in the amount of one billion euros for joint purchases of ammunition and missiles. It was planned that European countries would supply Ukraine with a million shells.

Later, Bloomberg reported that the EU was falling behind its plan to provide Ukraine with a million artillery shells by March 2024. So far, it has only been fulfilled by 30%.

It was also reported that amid concerns in the EU about falling behind schedule in supplying artillery shells to Ukraine, there is a possibility that they will be purchased from countries outside the European Union.

Later, it became known that the United States is discussing with Greece the possibility of selling 75,000 artillery shells from the country's reserves to Ukraine.