Ukrainian troops fired on a Russian position near Bakhmut in Donetsk on December 16.

(Associated Press file photo)

[Compilation Guan Shuping/Comprehensive Report] Since the Ukrainian-Russian War, the U.S. and European countries have provided several rounds of military aid to Ukraine, but as the war drags on, the U.S. and European arms inventories are facing tightness.

The "Washington Post" reported on the 23rd that the M777 howitzer produced in the United States currently uses about 14,000 rounds of 155mm caliber shells in one month, and the amount of shells used by Ukraine in two days during the fierce fighting is equivalent to this number.

The Washington Post reported that the end of the Ukrainian-Russian war is not in sight, and the war has exposed flaws in the US's strategic planning for its own future combat, as well as the US and NATO defense industries. Many key weapons and ammunition stocks are on the brink of depletion, while the wait for new production is months, and in some cases years.

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The report quoted U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth as saying in an interview that the U.S. defense industry is currently producing about 14,000 rounds of 155mm howitzers a month, despite plans to ramp up production.

According to U.S. defense officials, Ukrainian forces fired the same number of shells in two days during the height of the fighting.

In addition, the United States promised to assist Ukraine with 8 sets of "National Advanced Air Defense System" (NASAMS). The first 2 sets have been delivered to Ukraine recently, but the other 6 sets are waiting for production and delivery, which may take 2 years.

After years of U.S. defense officials shifting focus from traditional warfare to counterterrorism and space-age weapons, the Ukrainian-Russian war showed that trench warfare in Europe is not just for the history books.

A nonnuclear war with China, or even outright war with Russia, would likely require long-term, steady supplies of the kind of weapons that are currently in short supply.

A recent report by the "New York Times" also pointed out the high consumption of shells in this war. A high-level NATO official said that in the Donbas region this summer, the Ukrainian army fired 6,000 to 7,000 shells every day, while the Russian army fired even more. It reached 40,000 to 50,000 rounds; in comparison, the monthly production of artillery shells in the United States is only 15,000 rounds.

Camille Grand, a defense expert at the think tank "European Council on Foreign Relations" (ECFR) and former NATO deputy secretary-general, said, "One day (consumption) in Ukraine is one month or more in Afghanistan."

During the war in Afghanistan, NATO troops launched 300 bombs a day, and there was no need to worry about air defense.