The 155mm shells that hindered the US in the Ukraine war were revealed in a secret report, including Europe's promised annual support of 1 million rounds, which is impossible even with a total production increase of 11 factories in Europe, and the transportation costs and delivery method for the 350,000 rounds the United States has in Korea. .
When the Ukrainian military says it needs an average of 250,000 155mm shells per month to repel the Russian advance, the New York Times reported on the 9th that even the combined production of all 11 shell-making factories would fall far short of meeting Ukraine's desperate needs.
“During a recent visit to Seoul, prior to the leaked documents, government officials dodged a reporter’s question about whether they planned to send mass-produced 155mm shells to support the war,” said NYT White House Security Correspondent David E. Sanger. One official said South Korea did not want to violate its policies or risk delicate relations with Moscow. Now the world has seen the Pentagon's 'delivery schedule' for ocean shipments of the shells, along with an estimate of shipping costs of $26 million," he wrote.
Nammo, a joint venture between Norway and Finland, the largest ammunition factory in Europe, has been operating at full capacity to produce much-needed 155mm shells since the beginning of the war, and is attempting to produce up to 20 times the pre-war production.
Nammo revealed a maximum annual production of 200,000 units by 2028, and Ukraine announced a request for support of 250,000 units per month.
Nammo shows the expansion of the two continents in the warehousing system of ammunition produced in 9 European countries and the United States, but in reality, management is reluctant to increase production from the experience that many countries are reluctant to significantly increase military expenditure, often finding frustration in military production plans. NYT pointed out.
“We need an urgent decision from countries to prepare to fund this tremendous industrial capacity that is needed,” Nammo CEO Morten Brandtzaegsms told the NYT. “This is not possible without long-term contracts.”
Regarding the shells, the NYT said, “According to recently exposed secret documents from the Ministry of Defense, South Korean officials ‘offered’ the possibility of selling 330,000 shells to Poland after facing pressure from Washington, but such a deal, if passed, would provide only a fraction of the firepower needed. ”he said.
European countries first cut production of 155mm shells in their defense budgets with the end of World War II and the outbreak of the Cold War, and Norway, which has factories, has not ordered from Nammo since the early 1990s.
The exposed top-secret Pentagon documents reveal the lengthy and complex logistical delivery coordination process of delivering arms to Ukraine, mostly providing detailed targeting data.
President Biden banned US troops from firing directly at Russian targets and blocked support for weapons that could reach deep into Russian territory, but “exposed documents made it clear that the US was heavily entangled in almost everything during the year of the invasion,” the NYT said. said.
The exposure documents show that US officials are planning ahead "a possible year toward a stalemate" that would thwart Putin's goal of occupying the region and Ukraine's goal to expel the aggressor from the battle for Ukraine's war-torn Donbass.
Regarding the leaked documents, the NYT said, "The White House and Pentagon officials are most concerned about the immediate importance of information. An in-depth analysis of the Ukrainian air defense map and South Korea's secret plan to deliver 330,000 much-needed rounds of ammunition in line with Ukraine's spring counterattack." "Some of the most sensitive data has been revealed in documents that appear to be only 40 days old."
US officials told the NYT that "recent leaks are particularly damaging for past breaches and hints at the operation in the freshness of the documents (40 days old)."
The Nammo plant does not disclose the company's current production of 155mm shells for security and competition reasons, and company officials told the New York Times it was producing "in the low tens of thousands" before the war.
The Nammo company is building a new, larger plant for 155mm production, but it won't be finished until the end of 2024.
On March 20, the European Union agreed to spend 200 million euros or 214 million dollars to “deliver 140,000 155 mm shells to Ukraine within two months”.
The Norwegian Ministry of Defense revealed in a press release on March 31 that the maximum amount of 424.59 million kroner for 35,000 155mm 155mm rounds from Nammo, further increased the price.
Shell producer Nammo is co-owned by Finland, and Turkey's refusal to agree to NATO membership in Finland was an obstacle.
NATO Secretary-General, a former Prime Minister of Norway, came to Korea and attempted to exchange “nuclear information sharing” and “support for Ukrainian shells.”
Because such warnings are so sensitive, many "top secret" documents are limited to US officials or the "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance of the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The group made an informal agreement not to spy on other members. But that obviously doesn't apply to other US allies and partners. There is evidence that the United States was involved in the internal dialogues of President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as those of our closest allies, such as South Korea.
'Yomiuri' said in the title of <Leaked US military documents on Net, "Korean government telecommunication wiretapping">, "Leaks including documents suggesting that the US is eavesdropping on Korean government communications have been confirmed one after another, and the US Department of Justice is investigating." The documents include exchanges that show the South Korean government is increasingly struggling with US pressure on the South Korean ammunition supply it is negotiating with the South Korean government. It was reported on the 10th that Korea has a policy that is not provided to wartime countries, but it is written that ‘policy change is optional’.