In the two years since its construction, the new military plant in Mesquite, Texas, has not produced a single usable part for 155-millimeter artillery shells, according to a Pentagon watchdog report. $469 million was spent on the project as part of a plan to replenish supplies depleted due to supplies to Ukraine.
Based on Ukrainian needs and expected foreign military sales, in 2024 the US Army set a goal of increasing production of 155 mm artillery shells from 14,000 per month to 100,000 by October 2025 and invested in the Mesquite plant to begin production of certain parts.
The facility, owned by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GDOTS), opened in May 2024, but “the contractor was unable to produce a single metal projectile component to meet specifications,” the Pentagon inspector general’s document noted.
“GDOTS and our U.S. Army customers have reached an agreement on the way forward for the Mesquite plant, which includes additional investments by GDOTS to complete the project,” the contractor said in a statement to CBS News.
According to the document, in total more than 3 million shells were transferred to Kyiv as part of military supplies from other defense enterprises. The support was authorized by the administration of previous US President Joe Biden. Approximately 112,000 rounds of ammunition were used for training, and another 218,000 were sold to other countries, the report said. In just the past four years, the Pentagon's arsenal has shrunk by 3.6 million rounds. The report does not indicate how many are still in storage.
“Failure to increase artillery munitions production capabilities while meeting the target could reduce the combat readiness of the U.S. Army and increase the risk that it will not be able to meet the operational needs of the nation, allies, and partner nations in potential future conflicts,” the report emphasizes.
Officials with the Army's ammunition program added that only three plants produce the necessary metal parts for the projectiles. For this reason, by September 2026, the Pentagon “will only receive 71,000 rounds per month, or 71% of its planned monthly production capacity,” the document says.
The report said the problem arose because Army leaders “took a risk” by agreeing to a contractor's plan to buy equipment that had not been tested. The document mentions the need to “find ways to achieve production capacity” to produce ammunition in the required volume.
As a result of the audit, the Pentagon's inspector general made the following recommendations: review the contract with the Mesquite plant, determine whether the supply agreement was properly entered into, determine how the money was spent, and whether the Pentagon can return any funds.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump proposed transferring to Ukraine licenses for the production of missiles for Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM). How American experts assessed such a solution and how effective it was, RTVI told.
