A venerable military axiom is: amateurs discuss tactics; professionals discuss logistics. Not only is it essential a military safely gets troops where they need to be, rested and on time with the right weapons, but more importantly, there must a supply chain that ensures they have all the ammunition they’re going to need, all the food, and other technology and supplies to ensure they can prevail. Correct, innovative tactics are necessary. Correct logistics are everything.

Donald Trump tells us he rebuilt our military. He’s right. Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have all but destroyed it. They imposed racism against whites, DEI, Wokeness and every other Democrat/socialist/communist (D/s/c) philosophy with predictable results. Higher ranking officers, and others lacking honor and fidelity to the Constitution embraced the lunacy, knowing if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be promoted, or would be drummed out of the military on fake charges. That was the fate of patriots who tried to stand up to the steady destruction of our forces.

It took awhile, but so obvious were their tactics, the traditional source of our all-volunteer force, midwestern and southern white males, who have done the majority of fighting and dying for America, decided they were done, and recruitment dramatically dropped. Even our merchant marine is forced to sideline 17 ships vital to the resupply of our Navy due to a lack of personnel. The only service that thus far hasn’t seen terrible recruiting problems is the Marines, who have apparently resisted the insanity somewhat better than the other services.

Graphic: 155mm cannon. Department of Defense. Public Domain.

Our enemies have taken notice. They’ve also taken notice that the wars in Ukraine and Israel have badly drained our reserves of basic munitions, things like Tomahawk cruise missiles, Hellfire missiles, and even 155mm cannon rounds, the backbone of our artillery.

The military is semi-wisely not saying exactly how bad things have become, but our entire defense establishment, as well as the Congress and federal bureaucracies are salted with Chinese spies, and so are state governments, so there are really no secrets. Ukraine alone has been firing up to 8000 155mm rounds a day.  That’s 240,000 a month and nearly a million in four months, to say nothing about all the other munitions, down to 9mm rounds in issued handguns.

America, during WWII and beyond, was known as the “Arsenal of Democracy.” No longer. Not for a long time. We no longer have the industrial capacity to produce enough of the munitions we need, and restoring it will take years.  In 155mm rounds alone, we supply our allies and ourselves:

In the United States, the Army is looking to significantly ramp up 155mm production, with a stated goal of producing 100,000 rounds per month by 2025. As of February, the Army was “manufacturing 30,000 155mm rounds per month, doubling its previous output of 14,000 rounds prior to the conflict,” according to a service release.

Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said the Army is now “on a path” to producing 70,000 to 80,000 rounds per month by the end of 2024 or early 2025.

If that’s true, that’s going to barely supply Ukraine’s needs, leaving nothing to replenish our supplies and provide adequate supplies for our other allies and for training. South Korea and Germany are also producing 155mm rounds, but not up to the numbers we eventually hope to maintain. There is an additional problem: cost.

[Morten] Brandtzaeg said Nammo [Norwegian defense company] has estimated that just to supply Ukraine with enough 155mm shells will require 3.5 billion euros in investments, which is just the mechanical work that needs to be done. It doesn’t include the raw materials. Replenishing the European nations’ 155mm stocks would be another 3.5 billion euros. On top of that, there needs to be more investment into the supply chain for explosive chemicals.

“This is totally outside of the range of what this industry can pay for,” he said.

In other words, government is going to be footing a lot of the cost, and where NATO is concerned, that means America is going to foot most of it, particularly under Kamala Harris, if she allows replenishment at all.

It comes down to deterrence. Our enemies know we’re low on munitions and manpower. They know the Harris/Biden Administration is weak and anti-American. They also know a Harris/Walz Administration would be even weaker and would further deprive our military of the funds and gear it needs to deter, and if necessary, defeat aggression. They’re determined to replace American voters with foreigners. That’s expensive, particularly for the brokest nation in history.

This too—American and world security--is on the ballot in November. The shortage of 155mm ammunition is only one, worrying danger.

Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.