WASHINGTON, January 12. /TASS/. Weapons supplies to Ukraine may create challenges for the United States in six months to a year unless the US defense industry boosts production, US Secretary of the Navy Carlos del Toro told reporters on the sidelines of a Surface Navy Association conference.
"If the conflict [in Ukraine] does go on for another six months to another year, it certainly continues to stress the supply chain in ways that are challenging," he pointed out, commenting on Washington’s military assistance to Kiev.
According to del Toro, the US Department of Defense has been working very closely with defense companies "to motivate them to find out what their challenges or obstacles are, to be able to increase their own production rates."
He pointed out that Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks and Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Bill LaPlante were involved in the work and "they're starting to make some progress now."
"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," del Toro added. "So when that occurs, we'll be in a better place. How long that takes varies often weapon system to weapon system," the secretary of the Navy said.
Del Toro’s remarks sparked numerous comments from the US media and experts. The US Navy’s press service rushed to clarify his statements to prevent an interpretation that Washington may need to decide whether to arm itself or Kiev in the next six months to a year.