Washington’s military assistance to Ukraine, while critical in preventing a Russian victory, has depleted U.S. munition stockpiles to such extent that U.S. forces could run out of key weapons in less than one week should a major war erupt over Taiwan.
The U.S. defense industrial base’s inadequate preparation for such a conflict with China is one of the main takeaways from recent war games conducted by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank simulating different conflict scenarios involving Taiwan.
“As the war in Ukraine illustrates, a war between major powers is likely to be a protracted, industrial-style conflict that needs a robust defense industry able to produce enough munitions and other weapon systems for a protracted war if deterrence fails,” Seth G. Jones, director of CSIS’s International Security Program, wrote in a separate report.