The Canadian military is struggling to replace weapons it hastily donated to Ukraine earlier this year.
The army wants to replace most of the equipment over the next two to four years, but it is unlikely to acquire replacements for four M777 howitzers.
The guns, which have proven effective for Ukraine’s war with Russia, are no longer produced, according to the Ottawa Citizen.
Canada shipped 4,500 M72 rocket launchers, 7,500 hand grenades, and 100 Carl-Gustaf M2 anti-tank launchers with 2,000 rounds to Ukraine. It also sent tactical aircraft, helmets, body armour, gas masks, cameras, drones, mountains of field rations, and rare night vision gear.
Altogether, the military goods sent to eastern Europe represent a broad cross-section of the available equipment the Canadian Armed Forces relied upon.
At the time of the donation, military experts said the volume of armaments was more than the Canadian forces would probably ever use in training over five, if not ten years. Meanwhile, if a domestic or international war broke out, Canada would be dramatically underprepared.
National Defence spokesperson Jessica Lamirande told the Ottawa Citizen the department would examine various options to replace the weapons, like buying a different type of howitzer or seeing if other nations might part with their guns.
Some hope the company which produced the M777s will restart the production line if it receives interest on new purchases from NATO countries that have given supplies to Ukraine.
Already in May, Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand was warning Canadians that the Trudeau government depleted its stocks of weapons in its rush to assist Ukraine.
“We have exhausted inventory from the Canadian Armed Forces,” Anand said nervously. “There are capacity issues.”
Unlike the Americans, who have not even scratched the surface of the level of aid that they can give Ukraine, Canada significantly eroded the capacity of the Canadian Forces in the short term.
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