To build more missiles, the US looks to an ally 10,000 miles away
ORCHARD HILLS, Australia—At an Australian military base here on the outskirts of Sydney, an unassuming shed-like structure known as Building 215 is set to play an important role in Washington’s strategy for confronting rivals such as China and Russia. Inside, officials plan to establish the first factory outside the U.S. to help make a type of missile that’s been pivotal in the Ukraine war: Lockheed Martin’s Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, or GMLRS.
The U.S. has already sent Ukraine thousands of these missiles, which are fired out of vehicles known as Himars. The rapid consumption of munitions in Ukraine and the Middle East—from missiles to artillery shells—has strained the ability of the U.S.
industrial base to meet demand and replenish depleted stockpiles. The Biden administration is seeking to develop multiple production lines across allied nations for critical weapons, though that isn’t easy. One initiative to provide more artillery shells to Ukraine by having Japan send them to Britain stalled, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this year.
European manufacturers say they need longer-term orders from governments to give them confidence to expand capacity. In Australia, the effort to transform Building 215, most of which was empty on a recent visit, offers a look at how Washington’s weapons strategy might unfold around the world—and the difficulties the U.S. and its allies face in ramping up munitions production.
Lockheed and Australia will need to build new supply chains, train new workers and facilitate technology sharing with the U.S. Some say the plan is already moving too slowly, pointing out that it has been about four years since Australia floated the idea of making missiles. “The initial idea was
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