Headspace - Private-public partnerships crucial for boosting defense production

Ukraine has also received more than 200 155mm howitzers; more than 3,000,000 155mm artillery rounds; more than 7,000 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds; 72 105mm howitzers and more than 800,000 105mm artillery rounds; 10,000 203mm artillery rounds; more than 400,000 152mm artillery rounds; approximately 40,000 130mm artillery rounds; and 40,000 122mm artillery rounds from the U.S. and allies.

To help combat the possible production holdups of defense components and munitions, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted the NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum in Washington D.C. this July. This was the first-ever NATO-endorsed conference between defense industry business leaders such as RTX, Lockheed Martin, and General Atomics, allied defense ministers, and NATO officials to boost defense production and transatlantic industrial cooperation.

“In an increasingly dangerous world, it’s essential America and our NATO allies restock the traditional ‘arsenals of democracy,’ while simultaneously building the capacity to meet the threats of the future,” Suzanne P. Clark, U.S. Chamber of Commerce president and CEO said at the Forum.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan outlined measures to strengthen U.S. and NATO support for Ukraine during the Forum and announced NATO countries will each pledge to make plans to strengthen their own industrial defense capacity for the first time.

NATO also signed a nearly $700 million contract to have member countries produce more Stinger missiles.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg believes the alliance is faced with serious security challenges and called for increased cooperation, more investments in defense, and highlighted the need to work more closely with the defense industry. “There is no way to provide strong defense without a strong defense industry,” Stoltenberg says.

So while the United States will continue production to support their own defenses, their allies can now hopefully help ease any manufacturing holdups to produce military materials and munitions for Ukraine so no allied country’s defenses suffer. Without the NATO agreement, it’s hard to see how the U.S. manufacturing industry would be able to support Ukraine’s defenses and their own.