Magazine Breadth — Not Just Depth — Is Key to Munitions Industrial Base Resilience

Recent conflicts in Ukraine and hypothetical operations in Iran have strained U.S. stockpiles of precision-guided munitions, creating risk for other potential theaters like East Asia. Despite efforts to increase production, the munitions industrial base is hindered by budget volatility, long-lead items in complex supply chains, and a historical focus on performance over producibility. While building 'magazine depth' by scaling production of existing high-end weapons is crucial, it is not sufficient to ensure readiness. True resilience requires building 'magazine breadth' through a high-low mix of munitions, fostering producibility, and incentivizing second-sourcing to address threats across the spectrum.