U.S. to 'quadruple' munitions production - Pentagon chief --Among the reasons for the move is "Ukraine's high burn rate for artillery," according to Lloyd Austin | 3 Dec 2023 | Spending on the production of artillery shells by the Pentagon has almost doubled in recent years and will be increased even further, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has said. "Ukraine's high burn rate for artillery [amid the conflict with Russia] has hammered home the need to invest even more in munitions,” Austin told the participants of the Reagan National Defense Forum at Simi Valley, California on Saturday. This comes as Kiev's counteroffensive has failed to deliver significant gains despite billions of dollars' worth of military support from the US and other Western backers. The Pentagon chief said, "Compared to the defense budget from just five years ago, we’re putting nearly 50% more money into munitions."