U.S. Defense Leaders Warn of Munitions Crisis, Pledge Action
America’s munitions factories are racing against time to rebuild a 21st-century arsenal as global threats grow louder and deadlier.
The U.S. House Armed Services Committee gathered on June 11, 2025, to assess a matter that goes far beyond logistics: the future readiness of America’s Army munitions industrial base. Convened in Room 2118 of the Rayburn Building, this Tactical Air and Land Forces (TAL) subcommittee hearing wasn’t about wish lists—it was about survival, deterrence, and maintaining superiority in an increasingly volatile global security environment.
Leading voices from the Department of Defense and U.S. Army—including Mr. Steven J. Morani, Mr. Chris Grassano, Major General John T. Reim, and Brigadier General Daniel Duncan—testified before lawmakers about the challenges, shortcomings, and urgent modernization efforts underway to rebuild and transform America’s decaying munitions infrastructure.
The stakes couldn’t be higher.
A Foundation Cracking Under Pressure
Years of inconsistent funding, idle production lines, and dwindling stockpiles have left the U.S. munitions base dangerously fragile. As Mr. Morani put it, select inventories are not just low—they’re critically depleted. Worse, the infrastructure that underpins munitions production isn’t built for today’s strategic demands, let alone tomorrow’s.
The Ukraine war has been a wake-up call. It shattered any remaining illusion that modern wars could be won with peacetime stockpiles. Munitions are being consumed at breakneck speed in active conflict zones, exposing vulnerabilities in America’s ability to sustain prolonged engagements or reconstitute its forces in the face of a peer-level adversary.
This industrial weakness is no longer just a logistics issue. It’s now a strategic liability.
A Rebuild Underway—but Late
The Department of Defense has recognized the urgency. Congress, too, is stepping in. Multi-year procurement authorities have been granted to stabilize the market, encourage private investment, and allow suppliers to scale with confidence. This shift to sustained procurement is a critical component of any successful industrial rebuild.
At the heart of the effort lies a newly formed “Munitions War Room,” tasked with driving coordination, prioritizing supply chains, and integrating innovation across a fractured industrial landscape. It’s a sign that urgency is finally catching up to rhetoric.
And yet, the delay in standing up the Joint Energetics Transition Office (JETTO)—mandated in the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act—was a flashpoint at the hearing. Committee members were clearly frustrated. The office, meant to serve as a central hub for next-gen energetics development, remains in limbo two years after Congress ordered its creation. Despite verbal commitments and interim efforts, the absence of a formal JETTO is a glaring failure that undermines the very modernization Congress is demanding.
CL-20: A Missed American Advantage
The conversation around CL-20—an advanced explosive compound developed by the U.S. at China Lake but now widely used by adversaries like China—dominated much of the hearing. Why, lawmakers demanded, is America not fielding a substance it pioneered, especially when our adversaries are already integrating it into longer-range, more lethal munitions?
The answers were frustrating. While there has been progress in reducing CL-20’s production costs and scaling availability, integration into U.S. weapons systems remains limited. Test programs mandated by Congress are underway but slow-moving. Part of the challenge is that existing platforms need to be redesigned to safely and effectively use CL-20. But as Rep. Rob Wittman noted, “It’s a wake-up call when our adversaries are using our own innovations against us.”
The underlying theme: urgency has yet to match necessity.
From WWII Relics to 21st Century Arsenal
One of the most shocking revelations was the age of the facilities that support American munitions production. At Lake City, the last major construction was in 1940—documented by a photo of then-Senator Truman breaking ground. Much of the equipment in use today is original to the WWII era, with repair parts nearly impossible to source and maintenance becoming a nightmare.
But the Army is investing big to change that.
Over $4.9 billion has been funneled in just two years to upgrade facilities, boost production capacity, and modernize infrastructure from coast to coast. Major General Reim shared how monthly 155mm artillery shell production jumped from 14,000 to 59,000, with a path to reach 100,000 rounds per month. That scale-up was made possible by new plants, better technology, and smarter workflows.
Facilities like the Quad Cities Cartridge Case plant and the Radford Army Ammunition Plant are now being studied and revitalized. Investments in TNT production—once solely reliant on Polish and Ukrainian suppliers—are being reshored to Kentucky, marking the first time the U.S. will produce TNT since 1986.
Supply Chain Sovereignty Is Now a Weapon
One of the clearest themes from the hearing was that America must own its critical supply chains.
Antimony sulfide, essential for primers in most munitions, was once sourced exclusively from adversaries. Through the Defense Production Act Title III, the Army is now supporting mining operations in Idaho to restore a domestic supply chain.
Similar stories are playing out across the energetics spectrum. Specialty steel production—once a single point of failure—is expanding. TNT and CL-20 are no longer dependent on friendly or hostile foreign suppliers. Even rare explosive precursors are being sourced through new DPA-funded initiatives.
The old way of thinking—that international sourcing could plug the gap—has been abandoned. Resilience is the new doctrine.
People Power: The Workforce Behind the Arsenal
Beyond machines, munitions, and molecules, witnesses reminded lawmakers of the critical role of skilled labor. The engineers, chemists, production managers, and logistics experts working at arsenals and ammunition plants are the lifeblood of national defense.
But the workforce is aging. And with proposed workforce cuts at places like Rock Island Arsenal, members expressed concern that valuable institutional knowledge could be lost just when it's most needed.
Safety was also a key focus. With many production lines involving volatile substances, workplace safety measures are critical. Brigadier General Duncan reaffirmed that safety is embedded in design, protocols, and culture—because, in his words, "Our people are our most important asset."
From Readiness to Deterrence
Perhaps the most important philosophical shift reflected in the hearing was how lawmakers and defense leaders now see munitions.
It’s no longer just about being ready to fight—it’s about making sure we never have to.
Deterrence depends on credible reconstitution timelines and the demonstrated ability to sustain conflict. It depends on having the right munitions, in the right quantities, at the right time. Modern warfare isn’t just won with precision—it’s won with persistence.
America is finally waking up to that reality.
Conclusion
The TAL hearing wasn’t a bureaucratic formality. It was a gut-check on whether the United States is serious about maintaining military superiority. And while progress has been made, Congress made it clear that half-measures, missed deadlines, and bureaucratic silos are no longer acceptable.
The message was simple: match the urgency of our adversaries—or fall behind them.
The rebuilding of the Army munitions industrial base is not just a modernization campaign. It’s a race. A race to readiness. A race to resilience. A race against the reality that modern conflict demands more than the past ever prepared us for.