(RepublicanWire.org) – Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro warned Wednesday that continued support for Ukraine will be difficult if weapons makers don’t ramp up production in the next six to 12 months.
Del Toro made the admission when, while speaking at the Surface Navy Association conference in Arlington, Virginia, he was asked by a reporter for his thoughts on something Adm. Daryl Caudle, the commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, had said earlier during the same conference, according to Defense One.
The reporter specifically noted that Caudle was worried that “the Navy might get to the point where it has to make the decision whether it needs to arm itself or arm Ukraine.”
Based on this, the reporter then asked, “Has the Navy gotten to that point yet?”
Del Toro replied by warning that if things continue the way they have been, the U.S. may reach that point within as little as six months.
“With regards to deliveries of weapons systems for the fight in Ukraine, yeah, that’s always a concern for us. And we monitor that very, very closely. I wouldn’t say we’re quite there yet, but if the conflict does go on for another six months, for another year, it certainly continues to stress the supply chain in ways that are challenging,” he said.
Later clarifying on his remarks, Del Toro said the Department of Defense has been working “very, very closely” with the industry “to motivate them to find out what their challenges or obstacles are, to be able to increase their own production rates.”
“It’s obvious that these companies have a substantial pipeline for the future. They now need to invest in their people, again, their workforce, as well as the capital investments that they have to make within their own companies to get their production rates up,” he said.
To date, Congress has authorized nearly $100 billion to Ukraine. The hefty sum has prompted some Republican lawmakers to demand more accountability about how the money is being spent.
