In this file photo, a Ukrainian serviceman carries a US Javelin missile system in a trench north of Kyiv on March 13. (Gleb Garanic / Reuters)
The Pentagon is convening a meeting of its leading arms manufacturers on Wednesday to discuss the industry’s capacity to support Ukraine in a protracted war with Russia, according to a defense official and industry spokesman.
Today’s meeting at the Pentagon will be classified and chaired by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks. The participants will represent Boeing, L3Harris, Raytheon, BAE, Lockheed Martin, Huntington Ingalls, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman, a US official told CNN.
The three main topics to be discussed are the supply of Ukraine, the replenishment of partners and allies, and the replenishment of US stockpiles.
As for Ukraine, they will discuss more about Ukraine’s immediate security needs, but will also consider at least two to four years.
The official says the assessment is that even if Russian troops somehow leave, there will still be persistent security concerns. They will also discuss that, over time, some of what is provided will be obsolete and new versions will have to be delivered as replacements.
As for partners and allies, participants will discuss what can be in production or in production that is a reasonable fill (especially the Patriot system). Production in the United States will become obsolete with new versions over time, and they will discuss whether they are available and exported.
More about the meeting: The meeting between the defense executors and the Pentagon, first announced by Reuters, was organized only a few days ago, according to an employee of the defense industry with direct knowledge of the agreements.
The official said the contractors were told the focus of the meeting was on the “capacity of the industry” to support Ukraine if the war continues for several years.
The point, the official said, is that the United States “assumes it will be a long-term effort” in a scenario in which, at the very least, Ukraine will not be able to produce weapons safely in its own country.
But during the meeting, the official said contractors are likely to raise the serious challenges still facing US defense production, including current and serious supply chain problems and a lack of available labor.
All of this continues to limit defense production capacity at the moment and may worsen as increased defense spending in the budget and contracts with Ukraine fights for production capacity, the official said.
The issue of capacity also affects the production of critical supplies of ammunition, although most of this takes place in government facilities operated by contractors.
The United States has authorized more than $ 2.4 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the Biden administration began, including more than $ 1.7 billion since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
The United States is expected to announce on Wednesday that it is sending hundreds of millions of dollars in new military aid to Ukraine, three sources familiar with the package told CNN.
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