At the NATO summit in Washington on July 9-11, commitments to the defense industry will be announced for the first time, including the standardization of artillery shells to make them interchangeable on the battlefield.
Points of attention
- The problem of different types of artillery shells in NATO can be solved by creating a single standard for all members of the alliance.
- Increasing military support to Ukraine is one of the key areas that NATO will discuss at the summit in the summer.
- Jens Stoltenberg emphasized that Ukraine has every chance to become a full member of the Alliance within the next decade.
The standardization of artillery shells is being reviewed against the background of the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine
The Alliance has a standard for artillery shells, but adherence to it is voluntary. 14 NATO countries have decided not to adhere to this standard, so there are different types of 155 mm ammunition.
Ukraine showed that our standardization was good on paper, but not so good on the battlefield, said the representative of the Alliance, referring to the 155 mm ammunition, the demand for which has increased sharply against the background of the war in Ukraine.
A variety of 155mm ammunition can be used by all Western guns, but operators must consider the specifications of the projectiles when loading and firing or they risk missing by tens of meters.
Projectile specifications are listed in tables used by howitzer operators, but officials say manufacturers sometimes don't provide all the necessary data, and the Alliance is looking to change that.
A world in which there was one standardized NATO ammunition, where all members of the Alliance produced the same cartridges, would be much simpler for military command. You could take the ammunition from this storage and move it to these howitzers, and it would be the most efficient way of doing things, - noted the interlocutor of the publication.
Stoltenberg announced the terms of Ukraine's accession to NATO
The current Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, is convinced that Ukraine has every chance of becoming a full member of the Alliance within the next decade.
During a conversation with journalists, Jens Stoltenberg was asked whether such a development of events is possible, according to which Ukraine will join the bloc within the next ten years.
I really hope that Ukraine (at this time — ed.) will become an ally, - answered the current Secretary General.
It is also worth noting that on the eve of the July NATO summit in Washington, Stoltenberg also called for even greater military aid to Ukraine.
The stronger our support will be, the sooner this war (the Russian Federation against Ukraine — ed.) can end... The more we commit ourselves in the long term, the sooner the war can end.
Jens Stoltenberg
Secretary General of NATO
