WASHINGTON — The Army has fallen well short of its goal to produce 100,000 155mm ammo rounds per month, according to a new Pentagon watchdog report that singled out a facility in Texas as having failed to produce any usable components since it officially opened in 2024.
The report, published by the Defense Department Inspector General, warned that the service’s inability to ramp up the ammo production “could decrease the DoW’s readiness and increase its risk of not meeting the operational needs of the United States, allies, and partner nations in potential future conflicts.” DoW is the unofficial name for DoD.
Following the heavy use of artillery after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the US Army rushed to bolster 155mm production, looking to move from producing roughly 14,000 rounds per month to just north of 100,000 shells by October 2025. But as of March — five months after that deadline — the service only succeeded in boosting capability up to 36,000 rounds monthly.
The IG credited the modest increase in part due to “expansion and modernization efforts at both the projectile metal parts and the load, assemble, and pack facilities,” but said that the overall dramatic shortcoming came because two out of three existing metal parts production facilities each fell short of their goals — and one new facility was “unable to produce any projectile metal parts that meet contract specifications.”
