The Ukraine war hit America's shoulder-fired missile industrial base just when it was hoping to take a breather and modernize. Today, all those plans no longer apply.
With reports suggesting that Ukraine forces expended 300 Javelins in the first week of the war, U.S. shoulder-fired missile production must to ramp up to keep up with consumption.One particular concern is the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, near the small southeast Iowa town of Middleton, where melt-pour explosive experts craftThe facility is showing its age. In 2017, U.S. Rep.
But the renovations, when coupled with added manufacturing demands, will stress one of America’s few small rocket warhead production lines. If more missiles are needed, the the plant will need to speed up, likely incorporating new and inexperienced workers. Mothballed equipment may need to be brought back online. And, if the Stinger replacement needs to be accelerated, the plant’s warhead production lines may need substantial retooling to address production of both missiles.
The risk of Russian mischief in Iowa may be slight, but it is real. In 2021, investigators studying the movements of Russian assassination squads through Europe linked Russian agents to a decade-longSecuring the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant may not be simple. It is a sprawling, 19,011-acre facility, with only a small group of Army officials available to provide contract oversight.