Pentagon Alert: U.S. Runs Out of Missiles in a ‘Matter of Days’ in China War, Can’t Match Production
American defense industries lack the capacity to supply the missiles and other weapons needed for a war with China, and U.S. forces would lose the conflict as a result, members of Congress and private defense experts warned Thursday.
The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party recently held a simulated conflict with Beijing that revealed the U.S. military would quickly run out of bombs, missiles and other weapons within days of a war. The Pentagon has identified China as the U.S. military’s “pacing challenge.”
The growing risk of war with China over Taiwan or other flash points in the Indo-Pacific was the backdrop for Thursday’s committee hearing. Members and experts called for emergency measures to rebuild the American defense industry to avoid an armed clash with Beijing.
“Our defense industrial base lacks the capacity to deter and win a fight with the PRC,” said committee Chairman John Moolenaar, Michigan Republican, using the acronym for the People’s Republic of China.
Mr. Moolenaar said U.S. defense firms cannot innovate rapidly and supply chains for key defense components are vulnerable to China’s coercion and manipulation. He called for bold new policies and significant resources for the defense industrial base. (Read more from “Pentagon Alert: U.S. Runs Out of Missiles in a ‘Matter of Days’ in China War, Can’t Match Production” HERE)
