Taiwan and U.S. Begin Joint 155mm Artillery Ammunition Production to Secure Wartime Supply.

Taiwan and the United States have confirmed a joint effort to co-produce 155mm artillery ammunition, marking a move toward deeper defense industrial cooperation. The initiative reflects growing concern over ammunition sustainability in high-intensity conflict and Taiwan’s need to reduce reliance on overseas resupply.

Taiwan and the United States have quietly but decisively moved forward with the joint production of 155mm artillery ammunition, a development that reflects both the hard lessons of recent high-intensity conflicts and the growing urgency of strengthening Taiwan’s defense posture in an increasingly contested Indo-Pacific security environment. Confirmed by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense in January 2026, the initiative underscores a shift from traditional arms procurement toward deeper industrial cooperation focused on sustainability, endurance, and wartime resilience.
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Taiwan and the United States move to co-produce 155 mm artillery ammunition, strengthening Taiwan's defense sustainability and readiness in a high-intensity conflict scenario (Picture source: U.S. DoW).

The 155mm artillery shell remains the backbone of modern land warfare. It is the NATO-standard caliber for heavy artillery and is used extensively by U.S. and allied forces for long-range fires, counter-battery missions, area denial, and suppression of enemy maneuver formations. For Taiwan, this caliber is particularly relevant as the island modernizes its ground forces with U.S.-supplied artillery systems, including the M109 family of self-propelled howitzers. These platforms provide Taiwan with mobile, survivable firepower that can support defensive operations against amphibious landings, airborne assaults, or sustained pressure on key terrain.

The strategic rationale behind co-producing 155mm ammunition goes far beyond simple stock replenishment. Recent conflicts, most notably the war in Ukraine, have demonstrated that artillery ammunition consumption rates in high-intensity warfare vastly exceed peacetime planning assumptions. Even well-resourced militaries have struggled to maintain sufficient supplies under sustained combat conditions. For Taiwan, which faces the realistic prospect of prolonged hostilities or a maritime blockade in a crisis with China, reliance solely on overseas deliveries of heavy ammunition represents a critical vulnerability. Joint production offers a pathway to mitigate this risk by anchoring part of the supply chain closer to the point of use.

From an operational perspective, artillery plays a central role in Taiwan’s defensive doctrine. While Taiwan is investing heavily in precision strike systems and asymmetric capabilities, conventional fires remain indispensable for slowing enemy advances, disrupting logistics, and imposing attrition on a numerically superior adversary. In a cross-Strait scenario, Taiwanese artillery units would likely be tasked with sustained defensive fire missions over extended periods. This reality makes ammunition availability not merely a logistical concern but a decisive factor in combat endurance.

The co-production arrangement also reflects a broader strategic alignment between Taipei and Washington. By integrating Taiwan into U.S.-standard ammunition production processes, both sides strengthen interoperability while reinforcing political and military signaling. For the United States, supporting localized production reduces pressure on its own ammunition stocks, which have been strained by commitments to allies and partners globally. For Taiwan, it represents a tangible deepening of defense cooperation that goes beyond platform sales and into long-term war-sustaining capacity.

Several actors are central to this initiative. Taiwan’s Armaments Bureau and Ministry of National Defense are leading the effort on the Taiwanese side, working to expand domestic industrial capacity and ensure compatibility with existing and future artillery systems. On the U.S. side, government agencies and defense industry partners are expected to provide technical expertise, production standards, and quality assurance frameworks consistent with NATO requirements. Taiwanese defense manufacturers will play a critical role in scaling production, absorbing advanced manufacturing techniques, and ensuring reliability and safety standards are met.

The strategic timing of this cooperation is particularly noteworthy. Taiwan has significantly increased its training tempo, extended conscription periods, and expanded reserve activities, all of which have driven higher ammunition consumption in peacetime. At the same time, China’s growing military pressure, including large-scale exercises and blockade scenarios, has heightened awareness in Taipei of the need for self-sustaining defense capabilities during the early and most critical phases of a conflict.

Ultimately, the joint production of 155mm artillery shells is a sober acknowledgment that modern deterrence is built as much on logistics and industrial capacity as on advanced platforms. For Taiwan, ensuring a steady supply of heavy ammunition strengthens its ability to resist coercion and sustain combat operations if deterrence fails. For the United States, it reinforces a key partner’s resilience while contributing to a more distributed and robust allied defense industrial base. In the evolving strategic landscape of the Indo-Pacific, this cooperation represents a practical and strategically sound investment in long-term stability.