A new American rear base, in Australia, for the manufacture of munitions

In 2024, even the largest defense industry in the world, the United States, can no longer keep up. So, they rely on their Australian ally, which has just inaugurated a brand new missile manufacturing plant, those that defense specialists consider to be the “star” weaponry of the war in Ukraine: the Himars.

The Himars is a type of artillery which is said to have single-handedly stopped the advance of Russian troops, and even revolutionized military strategy. All conflicts have allowed defense manufacturers to test, invent, promote and therefore sell their latest models: the Russian Katyusha missile during the Second World War, the American Patriots during the first Gulf War. Models that are ever more precise, ever more technological and ever more deadly. In Ukraine, it is therefore the M142, a high mobility artillery rocket system, the Himars, which changed the situation. And its sad success today clearly illustrates the new acceleration of the arms race and the urgency to produce ever more ammunition.

In Europe, 500 million euros will be invested to stimulate the manufacture of munitions, but the United States is also making the same observation. Even the world’s largest defense industry can’t keep up. The inventory established by the Pentagon in September 2023 speaks of 300 million rounds of small arms ammunition and more than two million shells. The United States also delivered a third of the rockets adapted to the Himars system to Ukraine. And since then, another conflict has come to demand American stocks: that between Israel and Hamas. Which means that today, the pace of production is no longer suitable and the government is moving as quickly as possible to reactivate manufacturing lines or open new ones.

Which leads us straight to Australia, towards Building 215, a small, unpretentious hangar in the suburbs of Sydney. This hangar symbolizes the expansion of the revolutionary Himars system, with a $37 million contract, announced by Pat Conroy, Australian Minister of Defense Industry. “The latest review of our defense strategy strongly recommends increasing our investments in long-range strike equipment. These munitions will help deter potential conflicts and contribute to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. This “The first contract is for the manufacture of a first batch of missiles, which will facilitate technology transfer with the United States and strengthen Australian technical skills before the large-scale manufacturing phase”explains the minister.

Australia at the forefront of a future conflict with China

This is therefore a large-scale manufacturing project, in Australia, of state-of-the-art war technology. And Washington relies on the tripartite Aukus defense agreement, between the United States, Great Britain and Australia, to avoid ammunition shortages and not be caught off guard in current conflicts. But they continue to actively prepare for a future conflict where the Australian ally will be at the forefront: that with China. And the issue is such a priority for the Americans that they agreed to deliver the technological secrets of the Himars system to the Australians. This is only the second time that the United States has revealed such secrets, after the sale of the eight nuclear attack submarines signed in 2021. A historic change of course for the United States, which has always refused to share their military technology, including with their allies.