Ukraine's new defense minister says the country is focusing on increasing local arms production.
In the meantime, the US has announced another boost to artillery shell production to aid Ukraine.
Now, two weeks into the job, Umerov said one of his top priorities is to rebuild Ukraine's cache of ammunition by ramping up local production, using local manufacturers whenever possible, The Economist reported.
Umerov said he plans to boost local production by reforming state enterprises and incentivizing private arms manufacturers, which make up between 20% and 30% of local production, according to The Economist.
Under Umerov, those private manufacturers could eventually account for as much as 80% of local output within five years, Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraine's minister of strategic industries, told the outlet.
Persons:
Rustem Umerov, Umerov, Bill LaPlante, Oleksandr Kamyshin
Organizations:
US, Service
Locations:
Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia