Germany Overtakes US in Ammunition Production Capacity

Germany can now produce more ammunition than the U.S., according to the head of German defense giant Rheinmetall, as a massive rearmament campaign gets underway in Europe.

Rheinmetall has more than quadrupled its annual production of medium-caliber ammunition, and ramped up output of artillery rounds to 1.1 million, up from 70,000, chief executive Armin Papperger told reporters last week, according to German media.

Medium-caliber ammunition rounds are larger than the bullets in machine guns but smaller than shells fired by popular artillery systems like howitzers. They're typically used in autocannons on tanks or armored vehicles, like the U.S. Army's Bradley infantry fighting vehicle.

European countries are rushing to refill military stockpiles after U.S. President Donald Trump last year warned NATO members that they needed to spend more on defense and rely less on the U.S.

Europe has for decades leaned heavily on Washington's military assets on the continent, including expensive defense systems provided by the U.S. military.

But the U.S. has made it clear that it wants to concentrate on the Indo-Pacific and the threat posed by China's powerful military, rather than propping up Europe.

The Trump administration withdrew significant weapons and military support for Ukraine last year, and is currently tied up with the lengthening conflict in the Middle East as the Iran war enters its third month.

But even prior to the Iran war, European countries had announced their plans to build up their own defense capabilities.

Concerns over whether the U.S. under Trump would come to Europe's aid in the event of Russian aggression have fueled political momentum to make the continent's armed forces more formidable, particularly as European countries have been transferring their ammunition tanks, and other military equipment to Ukraine for the past four years.

Against this backdrop, NATO countries pledged in June 2025 to spend 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on their militaries and related infrastructure costs each year within the next decade.

Several nations were not meeting the alliance's previous defense spending target of 2 percent of GDP ahead of last summer, the surge marking the most significant hike in military investment across Europe in decades.

Global military spending increased by nearly 3 percent last year compared to 2024, largely the result of a 14 percent rise in European defense expenditure, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said on Monday.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that Europe should rely less on the U.S., and since coming to power last year, has spearheaded a major push to increase German defense spending, a break from the country's decades-long policy of veering away from military investment in the wake of World War II.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said last week that Germany plans to have "the strongest conventional army in Europe" by 2039—a century after the start of the devastating global conflict.

Ammunition is in high demand across Western armies, particularly rounds for artillery systems that protect troops in battle and hit high-value targets like depots and command centers.

Rheinmetall said it has been increasing its production of ammunition since 2022, when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

Artillery rounds, particularly 155 mm ammunition, are particularly sought-after after being chewed up on Ukraine's battlefields. The caliber is widely used by NATO nations, but Western defense companies have had to expand their factories and build new facilities to keep up with demand from Ukraine and European militaries worried about future conflict with Russia.

Rheinmetall is one of the largest producers of 155 mm rounds and said a new plant opened in August last year would become Europe's largest ammunition factory.

NATO needs to prioritize getting hold of more ammunition, as well as other military capabilities like air defenses, alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte has said.