The U.S. military-industrial base is not ready for a protracted war with China in the Taiwan Strait. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) found that some munitions, such as high-precision long-range ammunition, would run out in less than a week of conflict in the Taiwan Strait, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The report says the ammunition shortage demonstrates that the U.S. defense industrial base lacks the capacity for a major war as China continues to invest in munitions and weapons systems at six times the rate of the United States.

CSIS notes that U.S. aid to Ukraine has resulted in depleted stocks of weapons such as Stinger surface-to-air missile systems, 155mm howitzers and ammunition, and Javelin anti-tank missile systems. According to CSIS, the number of Javelin sent to Ukraine as of August 2022 represents seven years of production, based on fiscal year 2022 figures, and the number of Stinger sent to Ukraine is roughly equal to 20 years of production.

The U.S. military services have underinvested in weapons systems and ammunition for conventional warfare, and the Defense Department's procurement system faces challenges in creating incentives for industry to invest in sufficient inventories of key weapons systems, the report warns.

The U.S. Department of Defense, in consultation with Congress, must now develop a plan that includes taking steps to streamline and improve production, procurement, restocking, overseas military sales, and other policies and procedures, the report noted.

CSIS is a bipartisan D.C.-based research organization that specializes in national security issues. The think tank as a whole does not take specific policy positions.