NEW YORK, September 1. /TASS/. The US military doesn’t have enough TNT because of a lack of imports from abroad as well as depleted domestic supplies that were sent to Ukraine, The New York Times reported citing sources.

According to it, the United States previously had two sources of TNT — recycling of old ammunition and imports, mainly from Russia, China, Poland and Ukraine. After 2022, the US government decided to keep old ammunition for shipment to Ukraine. After the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict, Poland became the only authorized supplier of TNT to the Pentagon, but most of the substance is also sent to Ukraine, the newspaper notes. Meanwhile, Russia and China have stopped sending TNT to the United States.

The newspaper notes this shortage could have wider economic consequences, as TNT is also used in mining operations for construction materials, potentially slowing down building projects across the country.

According to the publication, the last US TNT production plant closed in the mid-1980s. However, the government plans to build and launch a $435 million explosives manufacturing plant in Kentucky by the end of 2028. The newspaper also reported that amid the shortage of TNT the United States has already found an alternative explosive, pentrite. It is produced at three facilities in the United States, but it is not yet clear how quickly they can increase production for the needs of the American armed forces.