PROCUREMENT: Why There's a Bullet Shortage

StrategyPage.com ^ | January 12, 2004

[John Jorsett]

The U.S. Army produces or procures 350 different types of munitions (bombs, bullets, grenades, rockets and so on.) Currently, it has shortages in 25 of those items, the most noticeable being fragmentation grenades and blank ammo for the M-16 rifle and SAW light machine-gun. The Department of Defense produces all of its small arms ammunition at one factory, in Lake City, Missouri (the largest plant for 5.56mm-20mm ammo in the world). But this facility is now running 24/7 and Congress is under pressure re-open older, smaller, mothballed plants. The Lake City plant can produce over a billion cartridges (mostly various types of 5.56mm ammo) a year, so why the shortages? A large part of it has to do with troops getting ready for duty in Iraq. This involves a lot of infantry training, and that requires a lot of blank 5.56mm ammunition. There was apparently a lack of coordination between the people in the Pentagon deciding to greatly expand infantry training, but no one told the Joint Munitions Command so that production of munitions used in training could be increased. This sort of thing was not a problem during the Cold War, when there were always large "war reserve stocks" of ammunition. This was necessary because the main threat was the Warsaw Pact (the Soviet Union and it's East European allies) that threatened to invade Western Europe. A war there would last a while and require huge quantities of ammo to keep the troops supplied while munitions plants increased production. So thousands of tons of ammunition was always kept in stockpiles. But this ammo would degrade with age. Thus every year there were large quantities of "use it or lose it" ammo reaching the point where you either fired it off or recycled it. Once the Cold War ended, so did the need for the large war reserve stocks of ammo. Billions of dollars a year could be saved by sharply reducing the war reserve stocks, and that was what happened. Unfortunately, there were some miscalculations in doing that, and there have been periodic shortages of 5.56mm ammo over the last few years. No one at the Pentagon will give a straight answer as to why this is happening, but whatever planning system they are using, it needs a little tweaking.

[2banana]

Actually, when you think about it, it is a freaking miracle that our troops are as well fed, armed and equipped as they are half way around the world. Compared to any other country or to WWII, Korea or Vietnam, the modern US soldier is way ahead in the logistics department.

[Support Free Republic]

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64	South Korea	10.00	1	10.00	5	2.00	10.00	1

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[Looking for Diogenes]

Billions of dollars a year could be saved by sharply reducing the war reserve stocks, and that was what happened. Unfortunately, there were some miscalculations in doing that, and there have been periodic shortages of 5.56mm ammo over the last few years. No one at the Pentagon will give a straight answer as to why this is happening, but whatever planning system they are using, it needs a little tweaking.

It sounds like they need to get some folks in there with experience in private-sector manufacturing.

[demlosers]

1305-00-926-9330
5.56mm ball
Lot number LCL-2004M-365006 Qty. 1680 ea CC/A
DOM: DEC 2004

Time to buy 100 million rounds above.

[rellimpank]

-----I would suspect that the idiocy of the Clinton-inspired tungsten-steel "lead free" environmenally approved 5.56 mm wonder bullet enters this picture somewhere, also---

[CSM]

The blanks aren't needed! The soldiers in training can just point the weapon and yell "bang"! (We actually did that when we couldn't get the training ammo.)

[Doctor Stochastic]

During the last days of the cold war, a Russian peasant (call him Ivan) is sent to the store by his wife (call her Sonya) to get some sausage. Ivan goes to the local state-run grocery store and asks for some sausage. The store keeper informs him that there is no sausage. Ivan gets mad and points out that this Tuesday and the government always delivers sausage on Tuesdays. The store keeper says, "In the old days, you could be shot for saying that."

Ivan returns home and tells Sonya, "Things are much worse than I thought."

Sonya asks, "Are they out of sausage?"

Ivan replies, "It's worse. They're out of bullets."

[Newbomb Turk]

Dosen't this fall under the "loose lips" catagory?

[demlosers]

So thousands of tons of ammunition was always kept in stockpiles. But this ammo would degrade with age. Thus every year there were large quantities of "use it or lose it" ammo reaching the point where you either fired it off or recycled it.

Hmmm total BS.

Shelf life is indefinite for ammo when stored correctly.

[ChefKeith]

BINGO!

"Jay what prize do We have for this fine Contestant today?"

[demlosers]

Ivan replies, "It's worse. They're out of bullets."

More BS.

[deport]

Lost and Found

[Barnacle]

Now that we're done with Freepathon, It's time to start "Ammothon".

?;^T

[SJSAMPLE]

The LC plant is run, under contract, by a variety of CIVILIAN companies, such as Federal or Winchester. The current contract is run by Federal and produces the BEST combat ammunition in the world.

Since all of the equipment and property is owned by the federal government, it's the government who controls overall manufacturing capacity, not the contractor.

[SJSAMPLE]

The lead-free bullet "green" was a different compostion, not tungsten. You can't melt Tungsten and put it in a case. You'd have to use a sintered (powdered) tungsten and form/press it into the jacket. Tungsten bullets, which are higher density than lead and have a longer effective range, are under development and the expected cost is about $1 each.

US combat ammunition is still a combination of lead with a steel rod (62gr M855).

[SJSAMPLE]

Here's one of the greatest sources of info on ammo for the M16/M249 SAW (and other 5.56mm weapons):
http://www.ammo-oracle.com/

[Traffic_Can]

Hey! I think I have at least a 1000 rounds of Lake City 5.56 mm left.

Maybe I can donate it to the war effort.

[SJSAMPLE]

Better hold on to it.
The gubment has been increasing restrictive about releasing older lots of surplus ammo to the public.