Thread by @elisabethmalom1

🧵Weeks ago I set out on the quest to find out concretely what European states are doing to restock national ammo stocks in the face of growing shortages. Here are 4 trends that emerged from Czech R, Norway, UK, Germany, France, Romania, Slovakia & Poland
shephardmedia.com/news/landwarfa…

2. Based on interviews/research: states have opted to 1) hire more workers to increase production levels of national factories and overall workforce; 2) are placing long-term orders to European ammo producers to expand their production capability; 3) adding manufacturing lines.

3. Amongst the ones to have opted for the 1st option is #Czech Republic, who announced recently that it would be welcoming “thousands” of #Ukrainian experts and workers into the country to raise manufacturing speed and military capacity.

4. Czechoslovak Group spokesman told me "This 2023 we aim to produce 100000 thousand pieces of artillery shells (app. 2x increase in our production versus 2022). We are expanding production mainly in #Slovakia and intend on hiring about 200 new workers in ammunition production."

5. An important element to note is that amid any national company’s annual production, it is little too often not stressed sufficiently which % goes into the country’s reserves versus what it sells abroad.

6. States to have opted for 2nd option include the UK, Germany and France. The #UK MoD has contracted BAE Systems to supply it with a 2.4 billion pounds order of essential ammunition rounds over next 15 years & 500-600M will be added to its budget to jumpstart ammo replenishment.

7. For its part, #France has declared that its national defense industry has adopted a “war economy footing,” to meet both its domestic procurement & Ukraine’s demand. This implies a removal of bureaucratic/obstacles in defense acquisition and an increase in military budget.

8. #Romania’s Minister of Economy said the country's strategy has been to invest around 81 million euros in production lines for ammunition specifically and plans to continue in 2023. In addition, it expects to procure new machinery to solve the country’s weak technological base.

9. The 4th pattern (perhaps rarer) has been to rely on foreign partners in the short-term to deliver ammunition material. #Poland is among these having looked to #SouthKorea for supplies of artillery, tanks and fighter jets. SK has affordable prices and fast(er) deliveries.