The risk in building weapons abroad

Written by Anthony Constantini

What’s happening: Australia recently opened a missile manufacturing plant to produce weapons for the United States. Officials say it’s part of a plan to make more American weapons abroad. This comes amid growing concerns that the U.S. may be depleting its weapons stockpiles faster than it can replenish them.

• Long-running problem: Concerns over American stockpiles are not new. The Pentagon was reportedly concerned about running low on ammunition only six months into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Why it matters: By moving to produce weapons in other countries, the United States puts itself at risk of dependence on foreign governments to stay armed.

• The land down under: Relying on Australia is a prime example of the difficulty this strategy will present. Australia has tried to ally with both China and the United States. If China became more bellicose, it could exert immense pressure on Australia to stop building American weapons.

Pentagon denials: The head of procurement in the Pentagon denied that the U.S. was running low “on anything” and said it would not provide Ukraine with weapons if America did not have ample supply; however, he was unable to provide an example of when Ukraine was denied weapons for that reason.

Moving away from America? U.S. allies, including Israel and the European Union, are seeking to diversify weapons purchases — not because America can’t provide weapons. Both Israel and the E.U. intend to become less reliant on the U.S. in the wake of increasing American skepticism toward foreign aid.