Europe is not strong enough to defend its territory?

Kiev [Ukraine], December 24: A lack of production capacity, a shortage of specialized workers , supply chain problems, high financial costs and environmental regulations are hindering the European arms industry's efforts to boost productivity. As a result, the West and Ukraine will face the challenge of ammunition shortages next year.
According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on December 23, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is now turning into a re-arms race between Moscow and European members of NATO.
Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky addressed the challenge during his visit to Washington DC on December 22. Accordingly, he said the Russian side has a significant advantage in artillery and ammunition. "They have far more than missiles and planes," Zelensky told Congress.
The $1.8 billion aid package announced during the Ukrainian leader's visit to the United States includes the first Patriot air defense system for Kyiv. Among these are equipment to improve artillery shells into precision-guided bullets, shells for mortars and rockets to increase range.
However, the fate of Ukraine's military also rests with European countries such as Germany, which have let the military industry idle in peacetime and are looking to keep up with demand while seeking to secure resources. energy supply.
Europe's difficult situation
According to the WSJ , the war in Ukraine is consuming ammunition at a rate not seen since World War II. Ukrainian forces fire about 6,000 shells and rockets a day and are running out of anti-aircraft missiles, based on calculations by experts and Western intelligence officials.
During the peak of hostilities in eastern Ukraine in Donbass , Russia within two days used more ammunition than all of the ammunition in the British military's stockpile, according to the Royal United Services Institute. (RUSI).
No member of NATO, except the United States, currently has enough weapons for a major artillery conflict, and industrial production capacity is no exception, said Nico Lange, a former senior Defense Department official. Virtue. This means that NATO will not be able to defend its territory in the event of an attack from a major enemy.
The current shortage of ammunition and missiles in Europe is largely due to a shift in NATO's military doctrines in recent decades. Mr. Morten Brandtzæg, CEO of Nammo AS, said that instead of planning for World War II-style land wars, NATO members focus on preparing for asymmetric warfare, dealing with adversaries. not very sophisticated. Nammo AS is one of the world 's largest arms manufacturing contractors, jointly owned by the governments of Norway and Finland.
Ukraine uses up to 40,000 rounds of 155 mm diameter NATO artillery shells per month. Meanwhile, Europe only produces about 300,000 shells of this type per year.
In an interview with British media, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace estimated that an additional 500 to 600 million pounds would be needed for the budget if the missing ammunition was replenished.
German officials have to admit that the country does not have enough ammunition to last more than two weeks in the event of an attack on the territory, which is below NATO's standard of 30 days. The German chancellor's chief of staff, Wolfgang Schmidt, calculates that Germany needs to invest 20 billion euros to meet NATO's requirements.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper