UK Ammunition Stockpile ‘Dangerously Low’ Because of Ukraine War: MPs

Ukrainian servicemen fire a 2S5 Giatsint-S self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops outside the frontline town of Bakhmut, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on March 5, 2023. Anna Kudriavtseva/Reuters

Britain and its NATO allies have allowed their ammunition reserves to fall to “dangerously low levels” as they seek to keep Ukraine supplied in its resistance against the Russian invasion, a parliamentary committee has said.

The Defence Committee in the House of Commons warned on Tuesday that rebuilding Britain’s munitions stockpile could take at least a decade, putting UK national security at risk.

The committee said the way in which Western governments procure armaments is “not fit for purpose” and it urged the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to draw up an action plan to speed up procurement.

Servicemen of Ukrainian Military Forces move U.S. made FIM-92 Stinger missiles and the other military assistance shipped from Lithuania to Boryspil Airport in Kyiv on Feb. 13, 2022. Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images

“It is clear that the UK and its NATO allies have allowed ammunition stockpiles to dwindle to dangerously low levels,” the MPs said.

“Whilst Russia is also facing the diminution of its stockpiles, other adversaries are able to maintain and potentially increase their own.

“This inability to replenish UK stockpiles therefore puts at risk not just our ability to resupply Ukraine but also to counter any threat to our own security.”

Replenishing UK Stockpiles

The committee said it is essential that the UK’s defence industrial capacity is both “resilient and scalable” if it is to be able to ramp up production.

“The MoD produced a strategy aimed at improving the way that it engages with industry and allies almost two years ago and yet we have been told it will take at least a decade to replenish (and then increase to a sustainable level) UK ammunition stockpiles,” it said.

“We therefore recommend that the department produce an action plan of how it intends to grow defence industrial capacity and reduce the time taken to replenish UK stockpiles.”

Tobias Ellwood, a Conservative MP who chairs the committee, said: “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine should be a wake-up call for the West. Safety, security, and democracy are hard won and easily lost.

“A powerful, resilient armed forces, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our allies overseas, is the best deterrent against aggression.”

An MoD spokesman said the ministry is continuing to “place orders to replace ammunition given to Ukraine” and has “an extra £560 million to increase stockpiles.”

“We remain fully engaged with industry, allies, and partners to ensure both the continuation of supply to Ukraine and replenishment of UK stock as quickly as possible,” he added.

Labour’s shadow defence secretary John Healey said, “Our military stockpiles are depleted and the government is acting too slowly to replenish them.”

‘Hollowing Out’

Western military leaders have issued repeated warnings that the war in Ukraine has exposed the vulnerability of Europe’s defences.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said last month that armed forces across the continent are paying the price for years of “hollowing out” that has seen ammunition stocks depleted, readiness levels reduced, and essential maintenance neglected.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace meets Ukrainian soldiers during a visit to Bovington Camp in Dorset, England, on Feb. 22, 2023. Ben Birchall - Pool/Getty Images

Talking to the BBC in Brussels, where he was meeting other NATO defence ministers, Wallace said the problems facing the UK were not unique to Britain.

“Ukraine has exposed across Europe—including in France and in Germany and other nations—our own vulnerabilities,” he said on Feb. 15.

“It has been well known for decades that where the armed forces have had to save money on things like its readiness or its infrastructure, the places that got unfunded were the unsexy parts of defence.

“Maintenance, ship lifts, all sorts of things that you and I don’t think are that exciting but are nevertheless really, really important.”

‘Step Up Even More’

Also speaking at the meeting, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said member states are ramping up production of artillery munitions as Ukraine is burning through shells much faster than the West can make them.

He noted countries like the United States, France, Germany, and Norway have signed contracts for munitions that would enable them to replenish their own stocks but also keep supplying Kyiv.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks at a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, on Feb. 14, 2023. Johanna Geron/Reuters

But he stressed, “We need to step up even more, because there is a big need out there to provide Ukraine with ammunition.”

Even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year, many NATO countries had fallen short of meeting the alliance’s munitions-stockpiling targets.

The pace of deliveries to Ukraine, where Kyiv’s troops are firing up to 10,000 artillery shells daily, has drained Western inventories even further.

Earlier this month, U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Army Douglas Bush said that U.S. Army officials are in the process of ramping up production to overcome challenges associated with replenishing domestic stockpiles of munitions that were either sold to Ukraine or would be needed for a potential fight in the Indo–Pacific.

The Army is “now in execution mode,” ramping up production to refill quickly draining stockpiles, although production timelines for many munitions have been complicated by complex supply chains and security requirements, Bush said during a March 3 talk at the security-focused think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Andrew Thornebrooke, Reuters, and PA Media contributed to this report.