US turns to South Korea to ease ammunition bottlenecks amid global conflicts
The United States is increasingly relying on South Korea to bolster its ammunition supply chain amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. This partnership is expected to serve as a model for future US defense industrial integration with Indo-Pacific allies.
Why it matters
This shift signals a strategic move to address US domestic manufacturing shortfalls by leveraging the industrial capacity of key regional allies.
Washington is increasingly turning to South Korea to ease ammunition supply bottlenecks triggered by wars in the Middle East and Europe, potentially accelerating Seoul’s integration into the US defence industrial base.
Analysts say the United States may struggle to replenish stockpiles quickly enough if conflicts in Iran and Ukraine drag on, creating opportunities for South Korea’s defence industry to expand its presence in the US market.
Jang Won-joon, a defence science professor at Jeonbuk National University, said the war with Iran and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had made Washington acutely aware of shortfalls in its domestic defence production capacity.
The US burned through US$22.3 billion worth of ammunition in just four months of the Iran war, according to the Pentagon, putting its defence industry under scrutiny and exposing what critics call a structural problem.
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