However, this war has already consumed as much as one-third of the US military’s inventory of Javelins. The war has also consumed one-quarter of the US inventory of Stinger shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles. Raytheon, which makes the Stinger, says it could take up to a year to restart production. At the current usage rate, supplies could well be exhausted by next year.

A $40 billion spending package passed by Congress last month aims to replenish these shortages. However, there are few defence contractors who make weapons themselves and Pandemic-related disruptions in the supply chain for microchips has made the problem worse. Defense-industry concentration, cumbersome contracting rules, and a shortage of skilled workers have slashed the number of companies in the business.

This weakness of the Pentagon’s supply chain threatens not only aid to Ukraine but also America’s ability to respond to future crises. President Joe Biden and Pentagon need to take aggressive steps in their defence production.