Global Markets
Home›Global Markets›Trade & Tariffs›US looks to South Korea to ease ammunition bottlenecks
US looks to South Korea to ease ammunition bottlenecks
The Pentagon said the US burned US$22.3 billion in ammunition in just four months during the Iran war, underscoring concerns about domestic replenishment capacity.
South Korea is increasingly being pulled into US efforts to relieve ammunition supply bottlenecks linked to wars in the Middle East and Europe, a move that could deepen Seoul’s integration into the broader US defense industrial base, according to SCMP Economy.
The outlet cited analyst concerns that Washington may not be able to replenish stockpiles quickly enough if conflicts involving Iran and Ukraine extend. A defense science professor at Jeonbuk National University, Jang Won-joon, said the Iran war and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exposed shortfalls in the US ability to produce ammunition domestically.
SCMP Economy also pointed to a Pentagon figure showing the US spent US$22.3 billion on ammunition in four months during the Iran war. It said the US is now expected to build production networks with Indo-Pacific allies, including South Korea, Japan, and Australia, to help close the supply gap.