America still has an outstanding amount of industrial capacity. That's not patriotic bluster, because I'm saying that as a European. There's a two-horse race between China and America to be the global industrial powerhouse and nobody else is even remotely close. The scale, sophistication and adaptability of American manufacturing still boggles the mind. Whether you believe it or not, America is still the same country that furnished the allies with Sherman tanks and Liberty ships.

America could start an Operation Warp Speed for 155mm shells and Stinger missiles, but there isn't yet the political will to do it. The DoD are still deeply entrenched in their leaden bureaucracy, they're still doing procurement in their usual way, their processes are still oriented around providing pork barrel jobs in key constituencies.

America isn't at war, but if it wants to remain a global superpower in an increasingly volatile world, it needs to adopt a wartime mindset when it comes to industrial strategy. You have the steel mills, you have the forging presses, you have the CNC lathes, but you don't have the sense of urgency to actually use them. That doesn't require legislation or a fundamental restructuring of the economy, it just requires a bit of creative thinking about procurement. With the stroke of a pen, your president could set the wheels in motion to rapidly replenish your arsenal and resume your role as the armoury of the free world.

For the sake of Ukraine, for the sake of Israel, for the sake of all of us, write to your representatives.