The US may not be able to continue its ongoing support for Ukraine if weapons makers do not ramp up production, US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro told Fox News on Wednesday evening.
Although the Navy isn't "quite there yet" in regard to extreme supply chain concerns, "If the conflict does go on for another six months to another year, it certainly continues to stress the supply chain in ways that are challenging," he later tweeted. "The [Department of Defense] and particularly [Deputy Secretary of Defense] Kath Hicks has been working very, very closely with industry, to motivate them to find out what their challenges or obstacles are, to be able to increase their own production rates."
"If the conflict does go on for another six months to another year, it certainly continues to stress the supply chain in ways that are challenging."
US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro
Nevertheless some progress
To shine some hope on the situation, Del Toro said that those involved are "starting to make some progress now."
According to Del Toro, the companies developing weapons and weapons systems have a "substantial pipeline for the future" so that now, their main priority should be to "invest in their people, again, their workforce, as well as the capital investments that they have to make within their own companies to get their production rates up."
(1/5) To clarify earlier comments from the Secretary:"If the conflict does go on for another six months to another year, it certainly continues to stress the supply chain in ways that are challenging.
— Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro (@SECNAV) January 11, 2023
Nevertheless, how long it will take to ramp up production levels varies per company and per product.
US support and aid for Ukraine
The US has consistently, throughout the war in Ukraine, provided the country with military support, including numerous military aid packages worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
However, several key US security officials have expressed concern over continued and potential escalations in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Just this past Tuesday, retired US Army Brig.-Gen. Kevin Ryan said in an interview with Insider that the Russian invasion of Ukraine may come to a terrifying end in 2023, with Russian President Vladimir Putin likely to turn to nuclear weapons rather than have his armies be completely routed on the battlefield.
Russia has threatened the possible use of nuclear weapons on several occasions throughout the course of the war, which is now stretching into its 11th month.
Michael Starr contributed to this report.