USS Dwight D Eisenhower , pictured here in the Red Sea, anchored one of the carrier strike groups that recently operated in that region. (Janes/Michael Fabey)
After depleting its munitions inventory in recent naval combat, the US Navy (USN) needs to quickly replenish weapons stocks, Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO) Admiral James Kilby told US senators on 12 March.
“USD2.3 billion of munitions expenditures in the war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas conflict, and combat operations in the Red Sea highlight the urgent need to increase weapons production capacity, expand magazine depth, and improve capability,” Adm Kilby told the Senate Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support during written testimony at a hearing on readiness.
“In the Red Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, our ships, aircraft, and submarines are in combat alongside our allies and partners,” Adm Kilby testified, noting the USN had defeated more than 400 drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles, and carried out dozens of offensive strikes against “Houthi aggressors” in Yemen.
“During the past 17 months, over 20 navy ships have deployed to the US Central Command area of responsibility, including four carrier strike groups and an amphibious ready group,” he said.
These operations have affected stocks of USN weapons that the service does not acquire directly, such as Standard Missile (SM)-3s, the VCNO noted.
“Although the navy does not procure SM-3s, we have employed them to great effect in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Adm Kilby testified.
For more information on SM-3 inventories, please seeSM-3 interceptor availability remains sufficient despite heavy use in US Navy Red Sea operations, says CSIS fellow .
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