NATO: munitions stockpile targets are too low and reserves badly depleted by the war in Ukraine

Reserves of weapons were too low even for peaceful times, NATO says. Now, the organization is expected to introduce new targets for munitions stockpiles in near future.

A Challenger 2 tank operator loads a Drill Sabot Trainer (DST) round into the breach – illustrative photo. Image credit: Cpl Si Longworth RLC (Phot), United Kingdom

Existing reserves rapidly diminished after the Russian Federation started its invasion of Ukraine, as allies soon started to continuously provide supplies of armaments to Kyiv.

NATO officials say there are two critical factors that were incorrectly addressed by the member nations of the alliance.
First, many NATO members did not meet existing stockpile targets in the past.
Second, many believed that big reserves were unnecessary because modern military conflicts “were not supposed” to last that long.

However, the Ukrainian war proved that wars of attrition and large-scale artillery battles are still a thing in modern times.

According to the latest statistics, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are shooting up to 10,000 artillery shells every day. The existing manufacturing rate is nowhere enough to restore consumed inventory. Europe also lacks adequate capacity in logistics.

“If Europe were to fight Russia, some countries would run out of ammunition in days,” commented an unnamed European diplomat in an interview with Reuters.