The war in Ukraine has had a significant impact on U.S. munitions stockpiles, and lawmakers are taking action to make it easier for the Pentagon to replenish those munitions. Washington has donated tens of thousands of artillery rounds and missiles to Kyiv, and a provision in the FY23 defense authorization bill would allow the Pentagon to enter into multiyear procurement contracts to help replenish shrinking inventories. Multiyear contracts are typically reserved for larger systems like ships or aircraft with much higher unit costs, but an exception is being made to help ramp up production and reduce the total cost of the sizable replacement effort now underway.
The legislation outlines what types of munitions are covered under the provision, as well as the maximum number of each weapon the Pentagon can buy, as follows:
- 864,000 XM1128, XM1113, M107, and M795 (155mm rounds);
- 12,000 AGM–179 Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles (JAGM);
- 700 M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
- 1,700 MGM–140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS);
- 2,600 Harpoons;
- 1,250 Naval Strike Missiles;
- 106,000 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS);
- 3,850 Patriot Advanced Capability–3 (PAC 3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE);
- 5,600 FIM–92 Stingers;
- 28,300 FGM–148 Javelins;
- 5,100 AIM–120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM);
- 2,250,000 Modular Artillery Charge Systems (MACS);
- 12,050 155m Excalibur M982A1s;
- 950 Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM);
- 3,100 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM);
- 1,500 Standard Missile-6 Missiles (SM-6); and
- 5,100 Sidewinder missiles (AIM–9X)
The House passed the bill last week, and it must clear the Senate before heading to the president’s desk to be signed into law. With the authorization in place, congressional appropriators must still provide the money needed to pay for these multiyear deals. Lawmakers say they have reached an agreement on an FY23 appropriations framework that they hope to pass before they leave Washington for the holidays.
As editor of International Military Markets, North America, Shaun has cultivated a deep understanding of the vast defense markets in the United States and Canada. Shaun's perspective on defense procurement and budget issues has been cited in a variety of defense periodicals, including Defense News and National Defense Magazine. Further, Shaun played an integral role in the development of Forecast International's U.S. Defense Budget Forecast product, which offers an unprecedented level of insight into the Pentagon's acquisition budget. In addition to providing original analytical content for the U.S. Defense Budget Forecast, Shaun oversees an internal defense budget forecasting process involving Forecast International's team of skilled systems analysts following release of the DoD's annual budget request. Shaun is also in charge of managing Forecast International's Weapons Inventory database.
