Stung by the shortage of bombs in the 2011 Libya War that America had to resupply the European, Europeans are building a stockpile of aerial ammunition that they can share. And America is building up its own stock in Europe:
Over the past month, US Air Forces in Europe took delivery of their largest shipment of ordnance in two decades. It’s another sign of the rearming of the continent as the United States pushes troops and equipment back into the region after years of drawing down, even as its NATO allies — and increasingly, non-allies like Finland — make preparations of their own.
The "preparations of their own" are plans for joint ownership of ammunition by various NATO countries, Austria, and Finland. Belgium, Denmark and Austria now have $20 million in joint air-to-ground precision weapons. Which can't be very much.
This program will include ground- and sea-launched ammunition, too.
I suspect this reaction to the Libya War will not be the best response to anything bigger than another Libya War. If the war is against Russia, every state in that joint ownership group is going to need every bomb and missile in their own possession and the ability to transport them around to needed nations will be halted by the need to move reinforcements and supplies east to meet the threat.
I fear the future is 16 European states with 200 F-35s and 100 shared bombs that they need the US Air Force to shift about.
But if Europe goes to war against Khadaffi's Libya again, they'll be all set.
For something bigger, there's the Air Force stockpile.
Well, with a little more work the Europeans will be all set:
A coalition of European militaries ready to react to crises near the continent's borders was launched on Wednesday with Finland becoming the 10th country to join, amid calls by French President Emmanuel Macron for a "real European army".
They call it the European Intervention Initiative. I wish someone would initiate an intervention with the Europeans on defense issues.
