Major Setback for Ukraine as US Cuts Aid Due to Critical Weapons Shortages
Politico revealed that the US is reportedly halting supplies of critical weapons systems to Ukraine because the US’ own stockpiles of these have sunk to record lows.
The Pentagon has halted shipments of some air defense missiles and other precision munitions to Ukraine due to worries that U.S. weapons stockpiles have fallen too low.
The decision was driven by the Pentagon’s policy chief, Elbridge Colby, and was made after a review of Pentagon munitions stockpiles, leading to concerns that the total number of artillery rounds, air defense missiles and precision munitions was sinking, according to three people familiar with the issue.
The sudden cutback is particularly eye-opening given that Trump just two days ago told reporters he may consider supplying more Patriots to Ukraine. Now, Patriots are one of the main systems on the chopping block:
Included among the items being pulled back are missiles for Patriot air defense systems, precision artillery rounds, Hellfire and other missiles that Ukraine launches from its F-16 fighters and drones.
Note that GMLRS ammo for the HIMARS and 155mm artillery shells are amongst the key systems included, although as of yet I haven’t found any other sources validating these specific claims—rather, they all mention ‘weapons systems’ more ambiguously.
This comes on the heels of another shocking bit of news.
Recall it was May 2024 that the US Army production lines for the 155mm shells claimed to have finally reached 36,000 per month:
They released a quite ambitious projection, claiming they would hit 100k monthly shells virtually by end of 2025:
I was one of the few skeptical voices who repeatedly said there’s no way they’ll hit even a fraction of these bogus figures. Well, it turns out I was right again.
You see, in late 2024 the Undersecretary of Defense William Laplante announced the US had supposedly reached the 50k-a-month milestone, a decent increase over the earlier 36k.
But now, breaking reports claim that the US has dropped back down to a mere 40k per month due to huge production problems:
The Army recently told Congress that 155mm production currently stands at 40,000/month. This is, of course, a decrease from the 50,000/m LaPlante stated last year.
We now have a likely explanation for why it fell. The new shell body production facility in Mesquite, TX is massively behind schedule. The first two of three production lines are still not fully completed, and the third is likely to miss its due date.
The Army has formally notified General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems that their management of the facility is being reviewed for breach of contract. They have until July 10 to detail how they might be able to get things back on track.
As a result, the Army's Load, Assemble and Pack capacity exceeds their ability to produce the metal parts of the projectiles. Previously there was a stockpile of shell bodies that were being drawn on by the LAP facilities, but those must have been exhausted, so projectile production has now fallen to 40,000 which is what the other metal parts plants can produce. Mesquite's 3 lines are supposed to produce 10,000 shell bodies each.
-Via Breaking Defense.
This is simply hilarious if true.
Recall I had covered the “new” General Dynamics Mesquite factory before, particularly the fact that it was built by Turkey, featuring Turkish CNC lathes and other equipment, and staffed with Turkish workers. It’s not unlike the TSMC factory in Phoenix which was unable to find ‘suitable’ American workers to ably man the production lines. When I first learned of the Turkish sourcing, I immediately had my doubts that this boondoggle “automated” factory would amount to much; now it seems those doubts have been vindicated.
As reminder, here is the original NYT article on the factory’s origins:
In a warehouse off Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway in an industrial area outside Dallas, the future of American military ammunition production is coming online.
Here, in the Pentagon’s first new major arms plant built since Russia invaded Ukraine, Turkish workers in orange hard hats are busy unpacking wood crates stenciled with the name Repkon, a defense company based in Istanbul, and assembling computer-controlled robots and lathes.
The only question is, was the factory ever even producing the claimed 50k per month, or was that a lie under Biden’s admin? The original report does claim they were drawing on stockpiles of shell casings which have now run out:
Previously there was a stockpile of shell bodies that were being drawn on by the LAP facilities, but those must have been exhausted, so projectile production has now fallen to 40,000..
More details can be found in this report:
Either way, it has now come to pass—again, as predicted long ago—that neither the far flung European promises of mass ammo production nor the slightly more believable American ones have borne out. And on top of that, whatever pitiful amount the US is producing, is now presumably getting cut down even further based on today’s reports of aid-halts from the White House and Pentagon. Russia, in the meantime, continues pumping out an estimated 250-350k shells per month, with more coming from North Korea.
Of course, pro-Ukrainian hardliners will claim artillery no longer matters—drones are the whole game now; we’ll see about that. Stay tuned for an upcoming premium report which will delve much deeper into new findings about Russian production capabilities that fly in the face of previous Western estimates; for now it is beyond the scope of this smaller update.
Now let’s once more take a look at the current battlefield situation.
Russian troops captured the other Malinovka near Gulaipole on the Zaporozhye front:
Just northeast of there they expanded territory around Komar (circled in red). Though it doesn’t show up on the maps yet, Ukrainian channels are screaming that Russian troops have already reached both Piddubne and Voskresenka:
In the green circle is recently captured Zirka, from which we have some footage:
The Vostok group liberated Chervonna Zirka. More footage of the battles for the settlement
One has the situation like this:
Another view shows that Russian troops are creating a large encirclement here:
Just a few kilometers east of Zirka, the settlement of Dachne was also recently liberated, which is claimed to be the very first liberated settlement of the Dnipropetrovsk oblast. The DPR’s 114th Brigade conducted the storming:
Video of the liberation of the first settlement in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
The 114th Brigade is showing the flag in liberated Dachne!
Geolocation: 48.047796, 36.818479
There were many other small advances and territorial gains between here and Pokrovsk further northeast—too many to list, so for now we’re sticking to the larger settlement captures.
Northeast of Mirnograd on the Pokrovsk line, Russian troops are pushing past recently captured Koptjeve toward the key rear supply road that feeds the entire agglomeration:
Slowly the noose is tightening on this large Pokrovsk-Mirnograd agglomeration, though Russia isn’t in any hurry to rush face-first into the hardened defenses here. It is slowly capturing territory on all the weaker lines adjacent to this frontline in the meantime.
From Ukrainian sources:
The enemy whines that in June the Russian Armed Forces broke the May record for liberating territory and achieved the greatest successes since November 2024. This is in response to the cocaine Fuhrer's statements about "successes" in stopping the Russian offensive.
The dynamics of the Russian Armed Forces' advancement indicate exactly the opposite.
The spring-summer offensive continues. There is reason to believe that July will be even more difficult for the enemy.
—
Lastly, Russia’s Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova, and other officials, were hosted in North Korea where a special concert honored the DPRK commanders and troops that fought in Kursk, tearfully watched by an emotional Kim Jong Un. Here is the highlights of the Kursk memorial portion:
But for those interested, here is the full video which has a lot of other neat performances:
One can truly glimpse the unparalleled closeness and trust between Russia and North Korea. One can hardly think of a global example—Israel and the US is a tempting comparison, but we know it’s a one way street, the parasite colony has no real respect for American culture beyond put-ons to squeeze more donations and “aid”.
No, the bond between Russia and North Korea is forged in a real and tangible historic crucible—one of mutual resistance, and existential sovereignty, rather than parasitic global colonization. It’s a level of respect and genuine friendship the US and its vassals will never know: they rule only through fear and coercion, their twisted puppet leaders mistaking servility for trust and camaraderie; it is a house built with flimsy wood and no foundation.
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Thus far we have learned that Trump is probably perverted, blackmailed, corrupt, soulless, extremely narcissistic, absolutely loves war even though he’s a strutting pussy, hates americans and would love to see them replaced NOT by Mexicans but by AI and Indians on work visas.
I’ve forgotten…. Were the gay cross dressing perverts who want to cut off children’s sex organs, eliminate white people, turn every american city into Harlem during the 1970s, empty every small town, and invade Russia any better?
I’m becoming a Bolshevik. I’ll be dead before americans wake up and trend in the same direction, though. The economy is hopeless. Eventually, violently wrenching power from these toxic human beings will be the only alternative.
..... "No, the bond between Russia and North Korea is forged in a real and tangible historic crucible—one of mutual resistance, and existential sovereignty, rather than parasitic global colonization. It’s a level of respect and true friendship the US and its vassals will never know: they rule only through fear and coercion, their twisted puppet rulers mistaking servility for trust and camaraderie; it is a house built with flimsy wood and no foundation."
One cannot help but feel proud and supportive of the honest, human, loyal, caring and diligently built friendship and union between Russia and North Korea. If one is honest..... and mentally/spiritually healthy..... the integrity and honor just shine through. I am so disgusted, embarrassed and disappointed in my own government and those that control it...... truly.