Tech Diplomacy Now: Munitions Shortages Are About to Get Worse
The U.S. and its allies face a growing defense production challenge.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Top News of the Week
Announcements
Latest News
Technology Strategy and Policy
Artificial Intelligence
Telecommunications Networks and Infrastructure
Critical Minerals
Synthetic Biology
Quantum
Advanced Aerospace Technology
Semiconductors and Microelectronics
Energy and Climate
Opinion and Commentary
The Last Word
Top News of the Week – Munitions Shortages Are About to Get Worse
It was well understood that the war in Ukraine was rapidly depleting munitions stockpiles, but now it appears that it will only get worse.
As a war erupted on Israel’s southern border with Gaza and tensions rise on the Israel-Lebanon border, the U.S. and its allies face a growing defense production challenge. With nearly 20 months of heavy combat in Ukraine, threats of conflict in the Western Pacific between China and U.S. allies, and a new war in the Middle East, the Army Secretary on Monday called for additional funding to increase munitions production.
Even before this weekend’s attack on Israel by the Iranian-backed Hamas group, NATO officials were warning that various types of ammunition were running low in the stockpiles of Western militaries.
The war in Ukraine has revealed that the defense industrial base of the United States and its allies is not suited for the intense conflicts being waged with greater frequency. Some analysts point out that those shortfalls further undermine deterrence, as rivals see opportunity based on reduced military readiness.
As Europe, Japan, South Korea, and the United States debate aligning their technology policies, they will also need to coordinate on more basic manufacturing capacity, as well as the necessity to retool production lines to serve defense needs.
More background:
Empty Bins in a Wartime Environment: The Challenge to the U.S. Defense Industrial Base – CSIS, January 23, 2023
Unprepared for long war, US Army under gun to make more ammo – AP, April 23, 2023
U.S. Struggles to Replenish Munitions Stockpiles as Ukraine War Drags On – WSJ, April 29, 2023
How Congress Could End Our Munitions Shortage – Mackenzie Eaglen, AEI, July 13, 2023
Announcements
NEXT THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19 at 10 a.m. ET, The Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue is proud to launch our inaugural Freedom Lecture Series next week at Purdue University. Join us for a conversation on emerging technologies and national security with U.S. Ambassador Nathaniel Fick, moderated by our chairman, and former U.S. Under Secretary of State, Keith Krach.
Seating is limited – in order to attend in person, you must register in advance. Livestream link will be sent to registrants on the day of the event.
Latest News
Iran Helped Plot Attack on Israel Over Several Weeks – WSJ, October 8, 2023
Threat to Israel From Hezbollah and Iran Raises Risk of Wider Conflict – WSJ, October 9, 2023
China Urges Philippines to End 'Provocations' in South China Sea – Reuters, October 9, 2023
US Restricts trade with 42 Chinese Entities Over Russia Support – Reuters, October 7, 2023
At WTO, growing disregard for trade rules shows world is fragmenting – Reuters, October 2, 2023
Senators Probe TikTok’s Executive Transfers from ByteDance – WSJ, October 3, 2023
Technology Strategy and Policy
US lawmakers press White House for tougher enforcement of China chip rules – Reuters, October 6, 2023
EU Formally Opens Subsidies Probe into EVs Made in China – Bloomberg, October 4, 2023
Treasury's Yellen says US overdependent on China for critical supply chains – Reuters, October 3, 2023
Warner on AI regulation: ‘We probably can’t solve it all at once’ – Politico, September 28, 2023
Artificial Intelligence
China targets 50% growth in computing power in race against U.S. – Reuters, October 9, 2023
Chinese Regulators Give AI Firms a Helping Hand – The Wire China, October 8, 2023
Why AI Is Medicine’s Biggest Moment Since Antibiotics – WSJ, October 6, 2023
Telecommunications Networks and Infrastructure
Lawmakers shift gears on TikTok ban – Politico, October 9, 2023
TikTok’s latest enemy: its former employees – The Verge, October 6, 2023
NATO’s ‘Dynamic Messenger’ test uses 5G mesh to link underwater drones – C4ISR Net, October 2, 2023
German proposal for Huawei curbs triggers telecom operator backlash – Reuters, September 20, 2023
Critical Minerals
Assessing the U.S.-China Competition for Minerals Crucial to the Development of Emerging Technologies – Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions, October 1, 2023
China boosts rare earths production to bolster booming EV industry – Nikkei Asia, September 26, 2023
Synthetic Biology
Ginkgo Bioworks and Novo Nordisk are Shifting the SynBio-Biopharma Narrative – SynBioBeta, October 2, 2023
Nobel Prize Awarded to Covid Vaccine Pioneers – NYTs, October 2, 2023
‘We are just getting started’: the plastic-eating bacteria that could change the world – The Guardian, September 28, 2023
Startup Syntax Bio Leverages CRISPR to Transform Cell Therapy Manufacturing – Med City News, September 24, 2023
Quantum
The Quantum Chips Are Stacking Up – Foreign Policy, October 4, 2023
Checking in on the quantum hype – Politico, October 3, 2023
Advanced Aerospace Technology
China, Europe and the U.S. Struggle for Satellite Supremacy – The Wire China, October 8, 2023
FCC enforces first space debris penalty in $150,000 settlement with Dish – CNBC, October 2, 2023
What exactly is the new space race all about? – Spectator, September 30, 2023
Japan and India plan 2025 moon mission to hunt for water near the lunar south pole – Space.com, September 30, 2023
US Considering New Space Force Unit in Japan – Defense Post, September 28, 2023
Semiconductors and Microelectronics
US lets Samsung, SK Hynix expand Chinese chip plants – Bloomberg, October 9, 2023
RISC-V technology emerges as battleground in US-China tech war – Reuters, October 7, 2023
Blacklisted Chinese Chip Maker Does a Thriving Business with U.S. – WSJ, October 5, 2023
How the Big Chip Makers Are Pushing Back on Biden’s China Agenda – NYTs, October 5, 2023
Key Taiwan Tech Firms Are Helping Huawei with China Chip Plants – Bloomberg, October 2, 2023
Energy and Climate
EU considers anti-subsidy probe into Chinese wind turbines – Financial Times, October 6, 2023
China's green tech giants link supply chains to Southeast Asia – Nikkei Asia, October 4, 2023
Japan courts Canada, Australia for China-free EV supply chain – Nikkei Asia, October 4, 2023
Electric cars draw a backlash across the U.S. and Europe – Politico, October 2, 2023
Chinese team extends recharge life of solid-state battery – Nikkei Asia, September 30, 2023
Opinion and Commentary
How to Break China’s Hold on Batteries and Critical Minerals – Brian Deese and Jason Bordoff, Foreign Policy, October 4, 2023
The Missing Piece in America’s Strategy for Techno-Economic Rivalry with China – Robert Atkinson and Liza Tobin, Lawfare, October 3, 2023
U.S. regulators made Huawei's chip 'breakthrough' possible – Douglas Fuller, Nikkei Asia, October 4, 2023
The Last Word
About: Tech Diplomacy Now
The Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue is the world’s preeminent trusted technology accelerator. As the leader of the new category of Tech Diplomacy, the Institute integrates technology expertise, Silicon Valley strategies, and foreign policy tools to build the Global Trusted Tech Network of governments, companies, organizations and individuals to accelerate the innovation and adoption of trusted technology and ensure technology advances freedom.