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Europe
Is NATO running out of weapons to supply Ukraine? (no)
2022-05-17
[YouTube - Perun] This war has produced some truly interesting takes - so many that I'm already planning my next myth-busting video as we speak.

But one recent one stood out as as both particularly strange, and also as a good opportunity to discuss a serious topic. Recently a number of media organisations ran stories suggesting that the shipment of American missiles to Ukraine were dangerously depleting American supplies to the point where urgent measures are necessary or American security would be threatened.

So yes, I'm going to deal with the idea that sending Stingers to Ukraine is a danger to the USA, but I'm also going to talk about how deep American weapon stocks are, what it means to have your security threatened, and why America probably shouldn't rush to crash-manufacture Stingers just because they're finally using the ones that were in storage. Defence procurement decisions have lasting impacts, and while the decision to ramp up Javelin production is an obvious one, I think we should be wary of the idea that Stinger should be resurrected without other options being considered.
Posted by:DarthVader

#18  Do you wonder why Raytheon et al don't seem to have chip shortages

No.
Try and buy a washing machine.
Posted by: Skidmark   2022-05-17 16:32  

#17  NB: The comments at the link are interesting, too.
Posted by: trailing wife   2022-05-17 16:00  

#16  ..unlikely. Russia is a land war. Any war with China will be largely naval with cutting all those overseas supply lines they are now dependent upon. Of course the Chinese could go to Siberia to make up some of those losses at the expense of someone who's exhausted his own stockpiles. Easier to simply become a good vassal like Alexander Nevsky.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2022-05-17 15:53  

#15  

Let's say NATO becomes drained of AMMO and WEAPONS.
Is Russia the threat, or will China become the threat given its manufacturing abilities we the US gave them?
Posted by: NN2N1   2022-05-17 14:24  

#14  ^ Colossus: The Forbin Project
Posted by: M. Murcek   2022-05-17 13:07  

#13  Unless Skynet and Chinanet determine the only way to guarantee their survival other than being ghosts in a toaster is to team up.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2022-05-17 13:04  

#12  Consumer products use cheap Chinese chips because nobody is going to pay $5000.00 for a TV or smartphone.

A guy said something to me last week in a discussion of parts sourcing that is sticking with me: "Not all crap is made in China, but everything made in China is crap."
Posted by: M. Murcek   2022-05-17 13:00  

#11  
#6...chinesium..I'm so stealing that for future use as a generic descriptor of the guts of any suspect device!
Posted by: NoMoreBS   2022-05-17 13:00  

#10  Cheap chips that reside in IoT devices or cars come from China, and we don't put that shit in our weapons.

Hope you're right about that. We'll find out if we ever have to fight the Chinese.
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2022-05-17 12:56  

#9  Also tack on P2K if things need replaced in a SCIF, the contractors need to have the level of clearance necessary to go into a lot of the high level ones. (low level secret ones you just turn on the red light and lock the computer screens to let them in. No background clearance needed)

So yes, it can cost $200-400 per toilet seat. The military used to do all that themselves, but the Powers-That-Beâ„¢ decided it was easier and cheaper to have cleared civilians do it. Seems like more expensive to me but I'm just a grunt.
Posted by: DarthVader   2022-05-17 12:54  

#8  ...and cheaper. See the price on mil-spec stuff? It's not just a $100 hammer*

*btw, your Congresscritters are the ones that require DoD buy the $100 hammer through contracting regulations and then allow blame to fall on DoD. If local procurement went down to Home Depot or Lowes they could actual go to (reserved for little people) jail.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2022-05-17 12:36  

#7  /\ But it's ok for the great sea of the unwashed.
Posted by: Besoeker   2022-05-17 12:16  

#6  A most interesting point, Darth! Last thing you want in your mil-spec electronics is too much chinesium.
Posted by: SteveS   2022-05-17 12:12  

#5  Do you wonder why Raytheon et al don't seem to have chip shortages

Simple reason. Most of the high end chips are made in the US or Taiwan with US designs and the US gets first claim to them. Cheap chips that reside in IoT devices or cars come from China, and we don't put that shit in our weapons.
Posted by: DarthVader   2022-05-17 11:53  

#4  ...someone actually enforced the contract on buying only from 'secure' sources rather than subcontracted out to a third party source using 'unsecured' sources?
Posted by: Procopius2k   2022-05-17 11:16  

#3  What with all the talk about "ramping up production", I got a question: Do you wonder why Raytheon et al don't seem to have chip shortages and supply issues like everybody else?
Just thinking' out loud...
Posted by: ed in texas   2022-05-17 11:06  

#2  Surprised there hasn't been a contact landed yet to develop the next-gen Javelin for "if and when stocks become depleted."
Posted by: swksvolFF   2022-05-17 10:43  

#1  What is/was the purpose of the ammo? I believe that is being accomplished just further east than within house.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2022-05-17 10:10  

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