Empty U.S. Military Armories Filled by K-Defense: The Secret of the 155mm Shell Deal

This is not just a simple arms deal. It is a monumental turning point. The world’s strongest power, the United States, reached out to South Korea to replenish its depleted shell stockpile caused by the Ukraine war. It feels as if a new owner has emerged for the long-standing title of the ‘Arsenal of Democracy.’

To be honest, this decision goes beyond mere military procurement. It is the most dramatic example showing how modern warfare has evolved, the hidden weaknesses of the Western world, and how South Korea has risen as a key player in the middle of it all. From now on, let’s take a deep look into why the world’s strongest nation, the U.S., urgently had to turn to South Korea and explore the fascinating background.

The Shell Black Hole, Ukraine: The West’s Armory Runs Dry

The Ukraine war overturned all expectations and brought artillery, known as the ‘god of war,’ back to the center of the battlefield. Instead of advanced missiles, a war of attrition using heavy 155mm shells decided victory.

The Ukrainian forces require 75,000 shells per month to hold the front line and 150,000 shells monthly for counterattacks. This is an enormous amount. From the start of the war, the U.S. has been Ukraine’s most reliable supporter, sending over 3 million 155mm shells.

The result was clear. In August 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense first admitted that its shell stockpile was at a ‘worrying level,’ soon followed by internal confessions that supplies had dropped to dangerously low levels. The U.S. faced a huge dilemma: continuing to support Ukraine while also preparing for other potential conflicts like on the Korean Peninsula or Taiwan. The urgent, unavoidable task was to ‘secure a large quantity of high-quality shells very quickly.’

Wanting to Produce But Unable: The Fatal Weakness of the U.S. Defense Industry

You might wonder, “Why can’t the world’s strongest military freely produce shells?” There are structural problems built up over decades.

Production Lines Dormant in Peace Time

Before the war, the U.S. monthly production of 155mm shells was only 14,000 rounds. They believed large-scale conventional wars were over. Even more serious was the fragile production base. Shell casings were made by only one factory, and the key component for firing, the combustible cartridge case, was produced by only one company. If either stopped, everything halted—an extremely precarious structure.

The High Wall of Increasing Production

The U.S. Army set an ambitious goal of producing 100,000 shells per month, but reality was harsh. The target date kept being pushed back to 2026, and production stalled at around 40,000 shells monthly. The reasons were complex:

• Equipment Shortage: Special equipment the size of buildings needed for line expansion took years to receive after ordering.
• Raw Material Disruption: Ironically, domestic production of TNT, a key shell ingredient, stopped in the 1980s, and imports from Russia and others were relied upon. Now, domestic factories are being hastily rebuilt.
• Lack of Technology and Workforce: Decades of neglect caused loss of mass production expertise and shortage of skilled workers.

Ultimately, the U.S. problem was not money but a strategic failure caused by complacency in peace, neglecting conventional war capabilities.

The Answer Was in South Korea: The ‘Absolute Artillery’ Forged by the Demilitarized Zone

When all roads were blocked, the U.S. eyes turned to one place: South Korea. Why Korea? Ironically, the answer lies in North Korea.

Facing tens of thousands of long-range artillery threats beyond the DMZ, South Korea invested decades into ‘firepower warfare’ capabilities. As a result, it developed world-class artillery forces, including the powerful K9 self-propelled howitzer, backed by overwhelming shell production capacity and stockpiles.

• Production Scale: South Korea’s annual 155mm shell production capacity is about 200,000 rounds, the largest in the world, far surpassing U.S. pre-war production.
• Quality and Compatibility: More importantly, Korean shells are manufactured to NATO standards from the start, ensuring 100% compatibility with U.S. military systems. This has been verified through live-fire tests by the U.S. military.
• Ready Stockpiles: When U.S. stocks ran dry, South Korea already had a massive stockpile of 3 million rounds.

The confrontation with North Korea paradoxically became the driving force for South Korea to perfectly preserve and develop conventional war capabilities that the U.S. and Europe had lost.

The ‘Seoul Solution’: A Masterstroke Turning Crisis into Opportunity

However, South Korea had a principle of not directly supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine. To honor this while meeting the U.S. request, the two countries devised a clever diplomatic solution called the ‘Seoul Solution.’

This involved designating the U.S. as the ’end user’ and selling or leasing Korean-made shells to the U.S. In other words, the U.S. replenishes its empty armories with Korean shells and sends its own stockpiled shells to Ukraine.

• First phase (November 2022): Sale of 100,000 shells
• Second phase (April 2023): Lease of 500,000 shells

The leasing method cleverly reduced South Korea’s security concerns and political burden by framing it as “loaned shells to be returned later.”

Beyond a Simple Deal: A New Era for the U.S.-South Korea Alliance and K-Defense

This shell deal signals a fundamental change in the nature of the U.S.-South Korea alliance.

Evolution of the Alliance: From Aid Recipient to Aid Provider

South Korea is no longer just a beneficiary under the U.S. security umbrella. It has risen to a key ‘security provider’ supporting the entire Western world’s security by replenishing U.S. armories. The alliance has evolved from a regional partnership on the Korean Peninsula to a global strategic partnership.

The Rise of K-Defense

This deal sparked a boom in K-Defense exports. The stock price of Poongsan, a shell manufacturer, soared, and Hanwha Aerospace, maker of the K9 howitzer and Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher, recorded historic sales orders exceeding 100 trillion won. The competitiveness of K-Defense—good quality, reasonable price, and fast delivery—has been proven worldwide.

Strategic Inevitability: The New ‘Arsenal of Democracy’

In conclusion, the U.S. choice of Korean 155mm shells was not just one option among many. It was a ‘strategic inevitability.’ The unprecedented demand from the Ukraine war, the U.S. industrial limits, and South Korea as the only country perfectly meeting all conditions aligned precisely.

The ‘Seoul Solution’ proved South Korea as a key global security player. It also taught that true power in the 21st century comes not from a single nation but from the collective strength of trusted alliances. This partnership, strengthened in crisis, represents the future of the U.S.-South Korea alliance and a crucial milestone in the reshaped global defense landscape.

Related article - The Story of 155mm Shells Indirectly Supplied to Ukraine