The United States is facing a munitions crisis. America’s defense industrial base is a shadow of its former self, and conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine have fed growing concerns about a rapidly depleting stockpile. Fortunately, our ally Israel has a potential solution.
The risk is clear: Were a major war to break out with China, the U.S. might well run out of munitions within the first few weeks of combat operations. Wars in Europe and the Middle East have already put pressure on an already stressed defense industrial base. And policymakers have taken notice.
In January 2023, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro warned that if the U.S. defense industry didn’t boost production, arming both the U.S. and Ukraine would become “challenging.” Indeed, the U.S. is in such dire need of munitions that it has dipped into stockpiles in South Korea and Israel, among other places, to help arm Ukraine.
Various factors have contributed to the munitions shortage: bureaucratic red tape, a decline in the number of prime contractors, and a budget and appropriations process that discourages upfront investments that are necessary to strengthen the defense industrial base. It is a problem that won’t be fixed overnight.
But Israel has pointed to a temporary solution that can help.
The Israeli government intends to ramp up its domestic manufacturing of important armaments, including munitions. In so doing, Israel will gain greater self-reliance, and the U.S. will get some much-needed breathing room to focus on its own munitions needs.
In January 2024, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Jewish state is “preparing the defense industries to disconnect from dependency on the rest of the world.” Netanyahu noted the recent war with Hamas had resulted in surging defense spending and that the Israeli government “will have to invest in a multi-year plan to free Israel from dependence on external purchases.” It would be, he acknowledged, a vast and costly undertaking.
Yaakov Lapin, an Israel-based military affairs correspondent, recently highlighted that “Israel has begun shifting toward greater domestic ammunition production.” Israel’s Ministry of Defense has already begun reaching out to local defense companies to boost production. Artillery shells, sophisticated guided air-to-ground munitions, and interceptors for Israel’s vaunted Iron Dome are all slated to be built domestically.
Yet not everything can be produced on Israeli soil. Numerous weapons systems used by Israel, including aircraft, will continue to be manufactured in the U.S., giving Americans jobs. And revolutionary defense technology developed in Israel with U.S. assistance, such as the Iron Dome, is often shared with Americans.
Israel’s decision to bring some production home will create jobs for Israelis. It will also make them less reliant on the U.S. The Jewish state faces a precarious security environment, virtually surrounded by Iranian-backed proxies that seek its destruction. By having key armaments on hand, Israel will be better prepared for future battles and future wars. It will also grant greater flexibility to Israeli decision-makers.
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The U.S. stands to benefit too.
By having key allies step up and take on more of the defense burden, Washington will be able to focus on growing threats in the Indo-Pacific.
Sean Durns is a senior research analyst for the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis.