The US Department of Defense will increase ammunition production by 500%.

That's the level the Pentagon plans to reach in two years, pushing production of conventional munitions to levels not seen since the Korean War as it invests billions of dollars to offset shortages caused by the war in Ukraine and stockpile for future conflicts.

This is stated in the article of The New York Times.

"The new investment in artillery production is partly a concession to reality: while the Pentagon has focused on waging wars with a small number of more expensive high-precision weapons, Ukraine mainly relies on howitzers that fire unguided projectiles," the article says.

Before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the US military's production of 14,400 unguided missiles per month was sufficient for the way the US military was run.

But the need to provide for Kyiv's armed forces prompted Pentagon chiefs to triple production plans in September and then double them again in January so they could produce 90,000 or more rounds a month.

Unguided artillery shells have become a cornerstone of the 11-month-old conflict, in which Ukrainian and Russian forces fire thousands of howitzer shells at each other every day along more than 600 miles of frontline.

These weapons likely caused the highest percentage of casualties in the war.

The Army's decision to expand artillery production is the clearest indication yet that the United States plans to support Ukraine no matter how long the war lasts.

The experience in Ukraine generally proved to the US that there is a need to focus more on both main artillery and missiles, and not just on the expensive equipment required to fire these weapons.

It will be recalled that the United States is finalizing the preparation of the plan to send the American Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

An official decision may be announced this week.

Read also:

• Ukraine news

• War in Ukraine

• News of Ukraine: video