United States Sends an Impressive Quantity of 2 Million 155mm Shells to Ukraine.

On August 14, 2023, the Department of Defense revealed an additional security aid package valued at up to $200 million to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia's ongoing aggressive actions. Notably, this aid package includes an impressive shipment of 2 million 155mm shells.
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155mm shells could be provided to Ukraine (Picture source: United States DoD )

This latest assistance provision marks the 44th equipment drawdown from the DOD's inventories for Ukraine since August 2021. Since the beginning of Russia's invasion in February 2022, the Biden administration has committed over $43 billion in security aid to Ukraine. This support has encompassed more than 2,000 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, upwards of 10,000 Javelin anti-armor systems, and notably over 2 million 155mm artillery shells. These resources are allocated as part of the $6.2 billion drawdown authority granted by the President in June, following a reassessment of the cumulative worth of previously committed provisions for Ukraine. However, what interests us here is the staggering quantity of 2 million 155mm shells.

The demand for shells in Ukraine is extremely high, as the extensive use of artillery pieces during the conflict has inevitably led to a growing demand for shells. Ukraine has repeatedly requested ammunition deliveries for artillery pieces, especially 155mm shells heavily used by Ukrainians with the equipment sent by various supporting countries. In response to Ukraine's request, the United States has escalated artillery shell production.

Douglas R. Bush, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, recently stated that the United States is currently manufacturing new artillery shells at a rate of 24,000 per month and is on track to exceed 80,000 shells per month production levels in the following year. We discussed this in an article on Army Recognition dated August 11, 2023.

Considering that the United States can indeed produce 80,000 shells per month, it will take them over two years to compensate for this shipment. However, if we consider a production rate of 24,000 shells, it represents 7 years of production for the United States. This quickly highlights the truly impressive quantity of this delivery.

Nevertheless, Ukraine also consumes a significant number of shells. At the conflict's outset, Ukraine was using between 3,000 and 4,000 shells per day, but now it reportedly uses 8,000 per day. Therefore, 2 million shells represent 8 months of ammunition stock for the Ukrainian forces if the daily usage rate remains constant.

To fulfill this aid package, the United States has sourced these munitions directly from the Department of Defense's stockpile. We can also question the number of shells that the United States currently possesses and how the withdrawal of 2 million shells impacts their stockpile. The delivery's timing and its impact on the conflict in Ukraine remain to be seen.