Panel warns Congress: production bottlenecks, FMS issues and drone-era munitions shortfalls constrain allies

Lawmakers and military leaders told the committee that allied rearmament is under way but that industrial capacity — both U.S. and European — is a critical bottleneck.

General Christopher Cavoli said allies are “putting money up against that shopping list” of capability requirements but warned: “There is a lack of production capacity right now.” He added that if nations increase defense spending, “there's gotta be something in the store to buy.”

Members pressed for specifics: Cavoli and others noted long-standing delays in foreign military sales (FMS) and that Europe is seeking more U.S. equipment. Congressman Turner and others discussed gaps in U.S. production of key systems and munitions and asked how the United States will scale to meet both allied purchases and Ukraine’s urgent needs.

Several witnesses and lawmakers focused on the fast evolution of small, low-cost, software-defined systems such as FPV (first-person-view) drones. Cavoli said those systems have inflicted large numbers of Russian casualties and are being produced at scale; one witness estimated Ukraine could produce millions of low-cost drones this year. Members warned that U.S. production and procurement processes are not yet optimized for high-rate, low-cost manufacturing at the scale seen in the conflict.

Committee discussion also addressed U.S. munitions stockage and the need to replenish facilities such as the Crane Army Ammunition Activity, which stores large quantities of conventional munitions. Lawmakers called for funding and acquisition reforms to accelerate production and to prioritize munition types that are currently being expended in large numbers.