 There is a serious shortage of weapons in the US military industry. Ammunition shortages, laid bare by the Ukraine conflict, have prompted some US think tanks to check on stockpiles in the West and find them wanting the Financial Times reported. The military industry of NATO allies is not able to help either. A Center for Strategic and International Studies war game of a conflict with China over Taiwan showed that the US had only about 450 long-range anti-ship missiles enough for about a week. Another think tank, the Center for New American Security, said the existing missile inventory is too small to blunt an initial invasion, let alone prevail in a protracted conflict against China. To deter and defeat Beijing, the Pentagon needs large stockpiles of standoff missiles, maritime strike weapons and layered air and missile defenses. The Center for New American Security concluded, According to the Financial Times, the US Department of Defense has asked for $1.1 billion in the 2024 fiscal year to buy 118 long-range anti-ship missiles compared to half that amount for 83 missiles the year before. The Pentagon also wants $30 billion for ammunition, a 23% increase over 2023 levels and $315 billion for new weapons. The Center for American Security has noted that the Pentagon tends to prioritize big-ticket items such as ships, planes and tanks, leaving missiles and munitions within adequate funding. The Financial Times revealed that Western powers have spent a combined $170 billion on military and financial aid to Ukraine since February 2022. Kiev is still complaining about ammunition shortages, however. The US military industrial complex has spent decades prioritizing efficiency and adopting the just-in-time supply chain used by other industries according to the publication, leaving it unable to scale up production in wartime. Parts and labor shortages are currently a problem as well.