The Republican presidential nominee has claimed that Washington’s stocks have been “emptied of all of our ammunition” to arm Kiev
Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has alleged that the US military is facing an ammunition shortage due to the Biden administration’s extensive support for Ukraine and other nations. He has pledged to prioritize rebuilding the American military if elected, emphasizing a “historic investment.”
Trump, during a phone call with Ukraine’s President Zelensky last month, reiterated his commitment to a swift resolution to the conflict if he wins the November election. He previously stated in June his intention to halt the billions of dollars in aid being sent to Ukraine.
Addressing supporters and his vice presidential pick, Senator J.D. Vance, in Asheboro, North Carolina on Wednesday, Trump expressed concern about vulnerabilities in the US military, stating: “They released a report talking about all of the vulnerable areas… we’re weak here, we’re weak there.”
“That’s like saying: ‘We have no ammunition,’” he added. “You know why. We gave it all up to Ukraine and various other places. We gave them everything.”
Trump asserted that billions of dollars in weaponry and ammunition have been donated free of charge.
A 312-page assessment published in late July by experts on the US congressional Commission on the National Defense Strategy warned that the US military “lacks both the capabilities and the capacity required to be confident it can deter and prevail in combat.”
The report highlighted a hypothetical conflict with China, predicting that China would likely receive economic and possibly military assistance from Russia, Iran, or North Korea. This, according to military experts, would significantly reduce the chances of US victory.
“Unclassified public wargames suggest that, in a conflict with China, the United States would largely exhaust its munitions inventories in as few as three to four weeks, with some important munitions (e.g. anti-ship missiles) lasting only a few days,” the document concluded.
The commission attributed the current situation to significant inadequacies within the American defense industry, emphasizing the need for substantial investment to rectify the issues.