• circuscritic@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    edit-2
    3 months ago

    Industrial production is not a significant issue the collective West has within the context of supplying Ukraine armaments and ammunition.

    The issue is a lack of, or decline in, domestic political capital in key member states, cohesive unified policy, and a long term strategy.

    Now, if the United States was completely removed from the equation, then industrial production capacity constraints, especially around munitions, may become a real issue.

      • Habahnow@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        3 months ago

        US and Western officials insist that although Russia has been able to jump-start its factory lines, in part because it has the advantage of being a managed economy under the control of an autocrat, capitalist western nations will eventually catch up and produce better equipment.

        I mean the article seemingly agrees with CircusCritic, they’re only outproducing because of lack of funding from NATO countries in combination with the control Russia has over its own economy. If NATO, NATO countries, or the US can actually begin to deliver a lot of funds, production will increase rapidly.

        We have industries for creating these armaments, they just don’t have the incentive to create a lot due to a lack of funding.

        The when is of course an important question. Providing 100 billion to Ukraine in funding in 2 years will have a different impact than 100 billion next month.

        • BakerBagel@midwest.social
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          3 months ago

          Does the west actually have those industries? Turns out decades of outsourcing as much production as possible overseas was a bad idea. Who would have thunk it.

          • circuscritic@lemmy.ca
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            edit-2
            3 months ago

            Munition factories aren’t typically outsourced, but a lot were decommissioned after the Cold War ended. That problem is especially acute within European NATO member states.

            But, in the context of NATO, as a whole, just supplying Ukraine for their existing conflict, production isn’t the limiting factor.

        • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          3 months ago

          As I explained in my original comment, you can’t just create such industries overnight. These require building out supply chains, training workers, and so on. You can just look at how great reshoring chip production is going despite untold billions being poured into that to get an idea of what a monumental task this is.

          Building out an industry on this scale is going to take years if not decades. Providing 100 billion to Ukraine in funding isn’t going to do jack shit. Ukraine is running out of weapons and ammunition. Replacements for any of these don’t exist, and production capacity is insufficient to make any actual difference in the foreseeable future.

          Highly recommend reading this article from RUSI explaining these problems https://rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/attritional-art-war-lessons-russian-war-ukraine