The Pentagon is convening a meeting of its top arms makers on Wednesday to discuss the industry’s ability to support Ukraine in a protracted battle with Russia, according to a defense official and an industry official.
Today’s meeting at the Pentagon will be graded and chaired by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks. A US official told CNN that attendees would represent Boeing, L3Harris, Raytheon, BAE, Lockheed Martin, Huntington Ingalls, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman.
The three main topics for discussion are the supply of Ukraine, the re-supply of partners and allies, as well as the re-supply of American goods.
As far as Ukraine is concerned, they will discuss more about Ukraine’s immediate security needs, but also think about at least two to four years.
The official says the assessment is that if Russian troops leave anyway, permanent security concerns will remain. They will also discuss whether, over time, what is being provided will be obsolete production and new versions will have to be supplied as replacements.
With regard to partners and partners, participants will discuss what may or may not be in production that is an appropriate backfill (particularly the Patriot system). US production with new versions will become obsolete over time, and they will be discussed whether they are available and exportable.
More on the meeting: According to a defense industry official, the meeting between defense contractors and the Pentagon, first reported by Reuters, took place a few days ago, according to firsthand knowledge of the arrangement.
The official said contractors have been told that the focus of the meeting is on the “capability of the industry” to support Ukraine if the war goes on for several years.
The spirit of things, the official said, is whether the US is “assuming this is going to be a one-year effort” in a scenario where, at least, Ukraine will not be able to safely arm its country. Will happen. What will happen.
But at the meeting, the official said, contractors could face serious challenges that still face defense manufacturing in the US, including existing and serious supply chain issues and a shortage of affordable labor.
All of this continues to limit defense manufacturing capacity for now, and could worsen as the budget increases defense spending and Ukraine contracts for manufacturing capacity, the official said.
The capacity issue is also affecting the manufacturing of critical ammunition supplies, even though much of it is done in government-owned contractor-run facilities.
America has authorized more than $2.4 billion in security aid to Ukraine Since the start of the Biden administration, including more than $1.7 billion since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
America is expected to announce on Wednesday It’s Sending Millions of Dollars in New Military Aid UkraineThree sources familiar with the package tell CNN.