The government is considering specifying war-sustainment capability in its National Defense Strategy. In light of the conditions for countries to withstand prolonged conflicts highlighted by the war in Ukraine and the confrontation between the United States and Israel and Iran, the focus will be on strengthening systems to maintain not only munitions stockpiles but also repair, supply, transport, communications and social infrastructure.
War-sustainment capability refers to the ability to maintain defence and social functions during a prolonged armed conflict. It includes not only stockpiling munitions but also supplying fuel and spare parts for repairs, keeping factories operational, transporting supplies, and maintaining communications and power. Securing parts for drones consumed and upgraded during the war in Ukraine, as well as the ability to respond to changes on the ground, are also seen as challenges.
Ukraine has expanded domestic production, strengthening the capacity of its defence industry. Production capacity has reached approximately $50 billion, and domestic production is reportedly meeting more than half of the equipment demand of the national defence forces. Of 1,678 certified models, 1,530 are made in Ukraine.
Protecting and repairing the road network used to deliver supplies to the front is another focus. On 3 November, it was announced that anti-drone protection had been installed along more than 1,640 km of major roads leading to the front, while road repairs since April had exceeded 720 km in total.
The moves by the United Kingdom, the United States and Japan are shifting toward strengthening supply foundations in peacetime. The United Kingdom allocated £1.5 billion of its £6 billion investment in munitions to continuous operations and set a target of building 6 new facilities. The United States is advocating stronger domestic manufacturing and parts supply, while Japan is expanding the Ministry of Defense's procurement of unmanned aircraft and developing a domestic mass-production base for critical components.
In Japan, the Ministry of Defense's budget proposal for unmanned aircraft includes ¥100.1 billion related to SHIELD and sets out wide-area and narrow-area unmanned aircraft programmes. Meanwhile, overseas products are estimated to account for approximately 90% of the civilian market for industrial drones in Japan, making a stable supply of critical components a challenge.