In Europe, the rate of ammunition production must be accelerated. Simple ammunition, and complex, smart ammunition. In France, a parliamentary report has drawn up a worrying observation.
The warning of the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, cast a harsh light this week on a weak link in European defence. And France is an example. Jens Stoltenberg urges member countries to speed up the rate of ammunition production. At present, Ukraine consumes more of it than the 30 member countries of the Alliance produce.
In France, a parliamentary report written by two deputies, Vincent Bru and Julien Rancoule, draws up a worrying observation: the deterioration of French stocks since the end of the cold war is now unsustainable, say the two deputies. We are very far from the war economy called for by the Secretary General of NATO.
franceinfo: What is the situation observed by the deputies?
Gregoire Lecalot: So no figures, it’s a defense secret. But the authors of the report carried out about twenty hearings, and visited two strategic sites. With the end of the cold war, followed by that of military service in 1996, the general revision of public policies in 2007, followed by the crisis of 2008, the army went from mass format, to that of samples of forces, intended for actions of expeditionary forces. And following the movement, the ammunition sector moved from the stock production model, to that of flow, to cover immediate needs and also more profitable.
There are two main families of ammunition: simple ammunition, which must be mass produced, such as bullets or mortar shells. On the battlefield, they are used against 90% of targets. And complex, intelligent munitions, missiles, torpedoes. They are used to strike the enemy first, from a distance, to immobilize him. They are long to produce, expensive, and complicated.
For simple ammunition, French production is negligible, even non-existent, with regard to bullets, which have not been produced in France since 1999. Inflation and international tensions make supply complicated. For complex ammunition, in addition to questions of quantity, France is dependent on foreign partners for a certain number of components. And for all ammunition, manufacturing times are far too long.
And what are the deputies proposing?
First of all, they ask the State, and consequently the army, to place clear and regular orders, which will enable them to adapt industrial tools and make them profitable, and to have visibility for anticipate.
Then, they recommend relocating certain productions, such as small caliber bullets, powders and certain components, in particular semiconductors, which have been largely abandoned. On condition of ensuring the profitability of the sectors. Then, create new productions, such as drones. The Ministry of Defense launched two calls for tenders.
Finally, arrange the working hours of employees in the defense industry, to enable production to be increased, even create an industrial reserve to quickly step up to the plate. And don’t forget research and development, while France suffers from under-investment in defense innovation.