NATO urges common standards for artillery ammunition

The North Atlantic Alliance is trying to agree on a single standard for 155mm artillery ammunition to simplify its production and logistics.

Admiral Rob Bauer, Head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s military committee, called for this.

Bauer called on member countries to stop protecting national arms makers, accusing their current market policies of undermining defense capabilities.

“The manufacturer will not get rich because of the printers that they make, but because of the ink. If you make an artillery round that only fits in the gun that you make, then you force the users to buy your ammunition,” Bauer shared in an interview with Reuters.

Non-compliance with standards by different countries has led to market fragmentation and complicated the flow of supplies.

According to Bauer, the price for one artillery shell has gone up to 8,000 euros ($8,489.60) from 2,000 euros before Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

Common standards for ammunition

A single standard for artillery ammunition already exists among NATO member states, but its implementation remains voluntary.

The Head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s military committee stated that 14 NATO nations reserved the right to deviate from the standard, meaning there were 14 different types of 155-millimeter ammunition.

He attributed the backsliding on standardization to a defense market that has shrunk drastically since the Cold War when NATO countries spent 3%-6% of GDP on the military.

“The number of buyers went down, the amount of money went down, and so everybody was protecting their own industry,” he noted.

However, Bauer said he was convinced that for the next 15 years, there was enough money to be earned for the industry, with NATO nations in the process of replenishing inventories depleted by donations to Ukraine.

He emphasized now was the right time to break the cycle and make a new push for standardization. The adoption of a single ammunition standard will simplify military logistics and ensure smoother supplies, which will help prevent delays and shortages in the future.