bottleneckScore 45/100Watch
Ammunition and missile stockpiles severely depleted; Tomahawk missiles designed in 1960s, replacement requires years for training and doctrine development despite availability of more manufacturable alternatives
Palmer Luckey· Anduril Industries· Robotics· 2026-05-26
“We could spend that money just basically getting our military back up to standard with the weapons that we already have. We have tons of weapons there, corroded, they are depleted...Our ammunition stockpiles, not just, I'm talking about missiles, I'm talking about even just normal, smaller ammunition are hugely depleted...Well, why don't we just replace it with cheaper system? Okay, well, it's gonna take a few years to do that. It's gonna take a few years to get it out there.”
Why it matters
Institutional friction prevents rapid weapon system replacement even when superior, cheaper alternatives exist. Training, doctrine, manufacturing scaling, and allied interoperability requirements lock military into legacy platforms despite cost and performance disadvantages.
Investment implication
Short-term capex focused on legacy system (Tomahawk) production and ammunition manufacturing. Longer-term opportunity for suppliers developing drop-in replacements and manufacturing-efficient alternatives that maintain interoperability while reducing costs.