Ukraine is running out of ammo. The West doesn’t have enough.

"We build things to kill people."
It’s ironic that in the era of drones and AI, the war between Russia and Ukraine has in many ways become a contest to see which country can get their hands on the most 155-millimeter howitzer shells. As trench warfare has taken over the conflict’s front lines, Kyiv and Moscow’s forces have come to lean heavily on old-school artillery - launching round after round of unguided explosives at the enemy. But both sides are now running low ahead of impending offensives, global stockpiles are dwindling, and ramping up will take years.
Reporter-producer Tanya Lukyanova leads the third episode The Agenda, taking a hard look at the state of the U.S. defense industry to answer why supplying Ukraine with the ammunition it needs has become such a daunting task. “In the US, we’ve done everything we can to expand capacity, and still we’re producing around 14,000 shells a month, and the Ukrainians are firing 6-to-7,000 a day,” Rep. Jeff Jackson, D-N.C, told Semafor. The Pentagon is currently on track to increase its artillery production sixfold, but only by 2025.
“We have multiple threats around the globe here for which we need to prepare,” Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., adds, nodding at a potential standoff in the Pacific. “And I am concerned that when you take that in totality, we're not moving quickly enough.”

[@Sanutep]

"That's what we do, we build things to kill people"... Damn. So candid.

[@bwake]

That’s what the military does. And when we _need_ that done, we need it _bad_.

[@biagiopiovasco8012]

Hope you rapidly rise to at least 1 mln subscribers because that's what these documentaries deserve. Keep this quality up!

[@johnconner4695]

“Best option to get F-16 into Ukraine in a year” Another bullshit lie. First of all F-16 and Abrams had already been in a plan to teach train and deliver them to Ukraine over six months ago with the lend-lease even if they said they wouldn’t deliver them. Long range projections had F-16 and Abrams in them for Ukraine. Especially starting training early. Another lie.

[@ericlsanchez]

Who funds this channel?

[@Semafor]

We're a news startup. Our seed funding is from private investors who have no say over the content. - joe

[@ericlsanchez]

@@Semafor who are those investors? Also, are your journalists those that put the Ukrainian flag in their username? I’m trying to see how unbiased you are, because this piece seems like military industrial complex 101

[@coolbluereview]

I like how the guy in the beginning is so brutally honest.

[@billybunter5575]

the problem is ukraine is firing thousands or rounds every day indisriminatly and there missles are automatically being shot down what ukraine needs is to jam the russian missle defence system so most of ukraine missle hit there target unless they do this ukraien will run out of ammo also elon musk should let ukraine use the sky net system because ukraine needs this to save there people.

[@frostman9661]

What a disgusting use of resources.... Just surreal that this war is even happening...

[@Frankly7]

If you apply those words to Russia that is 100% correct

[@gloomy5487]

@@Frankly7 NATO is seeking the destruction of Russia so it could pillage and rape Russia’s natural resources. NATO simply used Ukraine to destroy Russia and you think Russia is not allowed to respond? Zalushny is a NAZI just like the Azov battalion that is supporting Zelensky regime, a puppet government installed through a coup by the West.

[@thl205]

Amazing that hundreds of years after Napoleon, war is still all about artillery.

[@mirceazaharia2094]

It has evolved, it has become more destructive, more accurate, more long-range. It's still tremendously useful, even if it's a very old combat arm.

[@johnconner4695]

Actually that’s a lie. They are doing just fine.

[@danielmlinar4892]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@GoFigure1]

Serious question, worthy of a well-investigated answer: After fighting for twenty years on two fronts, then shutting it down and coming home, how can America say we don't have the funds for, well, anything, let alone supplying ammo to the Ukraine? We should have the raw materials, tooling, manufacturing capacity, and even the shipping capacity at need, with enough left over to work on our own infrastructure. Instead, they are nearly unable to balance the budget at all! And nobody wants to address it. From two battlefronts to no friggin funds. Where'd it go? A minority of minds wants to know.

[@nothanks81]

What out sourcing did to the west...

[@oreosandwich1519]

Quality Content like this is what Today's KZbin needs

[@jdogdarkness]

U guys show a clip of Reznikov saying "it would be nice to have 90k-100k PER MONTH, thats 3k a day... u guys give 3 different contradictory numbers... *Take this channel with a grain of salt.*

[@NeonAltar]

Thanks to @cleoabrams for sending me here!

[@capt.yossarian1402]

Go, Russia!

[@jdogdarkness]

So the analysis that 155mm shells are crucial, somehow makes F16 not necessary or helpful? Tf. Lol

[@oleole4340]

Great overview! Thank you from Ukraine, you guys are amazing

[@matt45540]

It's crazy that the EU wants to buy a million-plus rounds and people are hesitant to increase production. Seems like there's a demand issue

[@newguy954]

Reminds me of the face mask issue,the face mask manufacturer invested massively to upgrade production capacity only to suffer crippling losses after hospitals switched to Chinese made masks. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqPQgWV_j9Fpa68

[@NondescriptUsernameUnlocalizab]

The companies will not invest in additional manufacturing unless those contracts are several years long, to justify the price of investment. The system is simply inferior to what China and Russia have.

[@nothanks81]

Greed issue, go look at pay scale of workers making them you can flip burgers for the same wage.

[@nobilesnovushomo58]

because taxpayers have to pay for everything from salaries of people in factories to building factories in a highly regulated and limited sector. If incomes aren’t on par with domestic populations, none apply to manufacturers or product quality diminishes. Your food and gas is going up for this and cutting of energy supply of all of Europe from being exported by Russia, and must supply at subsidized rates or Scholz is gonna boogaloo back to the ruskies. America did have the supply, but a silent regulatory war on it means even our private sector can’t produce it. Salaries went from 12.50 to 15 while eggs went from 1-2 and gas went from 2.20-3.40

[@borisb1831]

Ironic that Ukrainian general guy spoke Russian

[@Josh_Exitcamper]

Host is very beautiful. Gorgeous.

[@darianclery4455]

Thank you for this video thank

[@MaxWellHays]

Very high quality content, keep it up, I think viewers and subscribers will soon find this channel

[@BadMonkeyMike]

The problem is that Russia does not play by the rules and the Ukraine is being forced to.

[@mirceazaharia2094]

The problem is that Russia is not playing by the rules NATO has been playing by. NATO was not ready for a large-scale conventional war. Their tactical and logistical deficiencies are showing.

[@Pr0toPoTaT0]

No offense, i think cleo n Johnny do it better. With the cutting together and everything, maybe youll get a complete staff and have more time to do more precise editing. It sucks. Editing sucks, thinking your video was okay, but clicked it hoping it would be better :(

[@holdmybeer123]

Quality content for a warmongers. Really just avoid talking about peace and the final sentence goes to the guy with a completely impossible view.

[@francoluissotomayor5521]

Nah, we built to defend life and prosperity. The pursuit of happiness, not actual happiness

[@bwake]

We have been cutting training. We have been cutting live fire exercises. Those are almost as expensive as war. The only difference is the effects of enemy action. Training is the first thing to be cut, when it should be the last.

[@mirceazaharia2094]

They have also cut back on ammunition production, not preparing for the likelyhood of a large conventional war erupting again. A military doesn't need to fire as many artillery shells of various calibers or small arms rounds when it's only shooting at poorly-armed insurgents that generally can't fire back. That means less ammo spent on fewer fire missions, finding the range, counter-battery fire, training exercises, suppression etc. Means less demand for it and less production of it.

[@jdogdarkness]

This is exactly why some things should be outside of profit motive. The US military & NATO countries should have state ran ammunition manufucturing for the most critical & basic of munitions, 155mm, 105mm, etc. We already have something like that for small arms US produced billions of rounds annually in US gov facility. No shortage. Surge capacity can be handled by private industry. Instead, everything is optimized to make defense companies more money.

[@sebastien.g.c.a]

well that's the issue with capitalism, it's only about making money money money wherever you can profit. If Nato can actually change and start making changes, then maybe after they can start mass production of military equipment for supplying themselfs and Ukraine

[@MA-hn9vo]

LOL

[@mael1515]

Excellent journalism 👍🏻👏🏻

[@holdmybeer123]

Really? How is that? By avoiding talking of peace and compromise? The hardline position of Russia to pull out of Ukraine?

[@mael1515]

@@holdmybeer123 different aspects are presented with good timing and visuals. This is not a moral piece.

[@vwvwvwvwvwvwvwvwvwvw9]

@@holdmybeer123 When will Russia ever sue for peace unless all territory is given to them? Open your eyes, who is the bad guy here?

[@holdmybeer123]

@@vwvwvwvwvwvwvwvwvwvw9 Russia was peaceful until NATO started expanding eastwards (betraying the 1991 promise to not expand). NATO plotted a coup against the democratically elected Ukrainian Yanukovych government in 2014, only because Yanukovych had the guts to say that it is not in the interest of Ukraine to go to war against Russia. Why would Russia yield any territory when NATO has clearly shown itself as a warmongering alliance plotting coups in Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Niger. These guys will start a war anywhere as long as the defense contractors get more business.

[@jdogdarkness]

Reports have said Ukraine averages about 6,000 shells a day... not 30k in one section lol. Where u get this from? Russia is using 50,000 a day... so i HIGHLY doubt your claims u including small arms? Lol

[@emitrius]

Fantastic video, fantastic channel. What I don’t get, how is Russia able to support this level of ammunition production? With all of the ally’s that Ukraine has it makes no sense that Russia is able to compete. This same question applies to terrorist groups like the Taliban.

[@aps-pictures9335]

You have to remember that Western nations are retaining stock for their own security needs. Further, China is delivering stockpiles via backdoors into Russia. The limited ‘type’ of ammunition is a problem too, a Western war wouldn’t be focussed so heavily on artillery alone.

[@chinguunerdenebadrakh7022]

There is a more fundamental aspect to it that Russia relies much more heavily on their artillery than the West, so correspondingly, there is a much larger pre-existing capability to support that demand. If the West went to war with Russia, for example, something that Ukraine would need 1000 artillery shells to destroy might be performed by an F-16 squadron dropping a dozen JDAMs ("dumb bombs" outfitted with a guidance kit). West had already recognized their numerical inferiority to the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War, so they pivoted much more heavily towards their existing advantage in technology and airpower.

[@Semafor]

This is a great question and we almost put more on this in the video - maybe we should have. One answer is that Russia is a really big country, much larger than Ukraine, and shifted onto a war footing while decimating Ukraine's defense industry. But the other answer is they've been reported to have ammunition shortage issues too www.reuters.com/world/europe/head-russias-wagner-group-we-are-beginning-get-needed-ammunition-2023-05-08/

[@maltegehrmann7351]

Great video

[@BasilAzeez]

Amazing content

[@erl1544]

We need more Seth Moulton’s in congress. The crazies get way to much air time and it’s reassuring to know we have level headed people still in control.

[@makasii]

can we please get the shells back?

[@mirceazaharia2094]

If you would like to go shift through the Ukrainian soil to get bits of metal to recycle, be my guest.

[@makasii]

@@mirceazaharia2094 why no, as long as it pays well.

[@Kheldul]

If the US solves this problem Russia will see that and realize staying in Ukraine long term for a slow burn is not viable.

[@singular9]

Russia is spending billions less .... So to them it's more viable

[@serkardis292]

@@singular9 Russia isn't spending less. Both in absolute terms and relative terms.

[@gloomy5487]

@@serkardis292 Russia is able to produce the shells cheaply through in house, state owned corporations. The West, however, has privatised all the defence industry. Massive price gouging is guaranteed.

[@Whayles]

I’ve come around to Starmer. I definitely identified with those on the left who were opposed to him and slam “Kieth” on a regular basis, like Owen Jones, Navara news, R/Greenandpleasent. However I’ve realised that being further left than current labour and complaining that they are not left wing enough, doesn’t achieve anything. I think there is definitely value in basically never being happy and wanting better for people, however this shouldn’t end up and encouraging people so split votes among left wing parties, leading to the tories being re-elected.

[@40kBookSummaries]

Such a complicated subject, building more weapons to inflict suffering on others doesn't lead to good things. Yet doing nothing (like many point out not stopping Nazis) could lead to even worse consciences. I'm sure glad I'm not involved in foreign policy especially with the nuclear option still in play.

[@_blank-_]

I would totally push the red button but aim for the US, Washington DC and the Pentagon.

[@40kBookSummaries]

@@_blank-_ umm okay? I'm not sure what you're even implying lmao just a crazy response I guess.

[@kingofstrike1234]

pull out russia from ukraine, what about nato banning ukraine and US leaving ukraine , trump leave nato to make peace with russia and biden ruined it

[@Whiterun_Gaurd]

You will be accused of spreading Russian propaganda. Thats how youtube comments work these days.

[@Ass_of_Amalek]

that's some gigacringe right there

[@MrDRSMAX]

LMAO, yes just give Russia everything they want.

[@casperguo7177]

Yea, because that will be so great for US’s international standing

[@aps-pictures9335]

Nati banning Ukraine from Ukraine? O.o Are you insane?

[@juicysmalls3988]

Wow...i love your videos. Good work...i am a subscriber now🎉

[@EnderLeon67D]

Just blindly increasing ammunition production might not be a wise decision. We could end up with an extremely powerful industry that will lobby for funds for a very long time if we aren‘t careful. Ammunition constraint isn‘t something new. Even superpowers like Germany and france during the First World War became ammunition constraint within a year. For more detailed information I can recommend peruns video kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpauamt_mrmdnLs