WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th December, 2022) The Pentagon's task of monitoring US stockpile levels after American military weapons and equipment is sent to Ukraine is difficult to assess, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Readiness Kimberly Jackson said on Wednesday.
"It is a responsible and rigorous process by which we can take those requirements that are coming in from the Ukrainians, we can validate them within the department, and we can make sure that everybody who has a stake in this decision making and in providing assessments to our senior leaders, has that same information from which to draw those assessments," Jackson said during a think tank event. "That might sound simple, but for anybody who has worked around the department, it really can't be overemphasized how hard that actually is."
During the virtual panel discussion hosted by the Center for a New American Security, Jackson detailed that Pentagon officials, when tracking munitions, must understand what munitions are in which specific inventory, where it is in the world as well as what it is being used for.
Lockheed Martin Vice President for Global Program Support Katie Wheelbarger added, with respect to supply chain issues in the defense industry base, that a lack of stability in demand and funding makes it really hard to be sure that you know where defense firms should appropriately invest.
On Friday, Financial Times reported that there was a growing concern among Western countries supporting Ukraine about the need to increase the production of ammunition amid depletion of stocks. The step will also serve to demonstrate to US adversaries, such as China, the ability of allies to produce enough weapons to defend themselves.
Last week, Polish Ambassador to NATO Tomasz Szatkowski said that the warehouses of military equipment of NATO countries were emptying due to assistance to Ukraine.
