Ret. Admiral Sounds Alarm About Munition Shortage as China Threat Grows

A retired Navy Admiral issued a stern warning on the threat of China's aggressive actions amid worldwide munitions shortages.

In an op-ed for Barron's, retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery said productions of munitions must be increased in order to support the democratic nation of Taiwan in what would be a "massive air-sea battle."

Around Taiwan, Chinese forces are pressuring the country with so-called "gray zone" coercive maneuvers.

The Communist Party in China claims Taiwan, despite never having ruled the democratically governed island, and has vowed to unify it in the future. In running polls, most Taiwanese would rather have the island country's current status over a formal declaration of independence, of which China has said it would go to war.

Montgomery's statements echo similar remarks by NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg, who said increasing munitions is tantamount in support of Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Stoletenberg stressed that fragmentation within the European defense industry must be solved to ensure the demand is met for munitions.

Specifically, Montgomery said "Ukraine has been caught in an artillery crisis due to NATO's very short supply of standard 155mm shells. A similar issue exists for the numerous munitions that would be critical to defeating China. Let's raise, and meet, a new and higher level of munition production."

In an emailed response on Saturday to Newsweek, Montgomery said the barrier to getting the proper munitions for the Asia Pacific is a lack of investment in the appropriate munitions for both the U.S. military and its partners.

"Purchasing the necessary munitions, including long-range ship strike and long-range air defense, at minimum sustainment rates for more than a decade left the U.S. with insufficient weapons and a weakened defense industrial base," Montgomery, a Senior Fellow for the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said. "The keys to fixing this issue are joint government-industry investments in munitions production facilities, long term multi-year procurement contracts, and more expansive munitions orders each year."

Nearly six in 10 respondents to a recent survey in Taiwan said they would favor a military alliance with the United States.

President Joe Biden has stated the U.S. would come to Taiwan's aid if needed, though officials in his administration later walked back these claims.

Montgomery writes "the best way to deter the CCP is U.S. security support and arms sales to Taiwan, investments in U.S. force posture in the Western Pacific, and encouragement of similar commitments from Japan and Australia. Even if Xi perceives our actions as closing his strategic window for action, we must persist because weakness will much more surely prompt a Chinese response. It is not a provocation to oppose a bully. Ultimately, successful deterrence is a matter of credibility."

Montgomery, who served as policy director of the Senate Armed Services Committee under Sen. John McCain, said the current global threats are reminiscent of the 1930s, the decade that preceded World War II. He believes action, not appeasement, is the best means to attack conflicts abroad.

"The U.S. and its allies were confident after the Cold War ended. To paraphrase W.H. Auden, we thought the postwar security arrangement would last forever. We were wrong. In the face of credible global threats, it's high time to avoid the mistakes of the 1930s — appeasement abroad and malaise at home," he concluded.

Montgomery served for 32 years in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear-trained surface warfare officer. He retired as a rear admiral in 2017. He was censured in 2018 for his role in the Navy's $35 million "Fat Leonard" scandal.

Update 12/9/23, 5:02 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include comment from Montgomery.