US military severely depletes TNT amid Ukraine war

The U.S. military faces a critical TNT shortage, severely disrupting weapons production essential for national defense. Poland, the Pentagon’s sole authorized TNT supplier, diverts most of its output to Ukraine, prioritizing their war against Russia since 2022. Domestic TNT, once recycled from decommissioned munitions like land mines, artillery shells, and bombs, is exhausted. The Pentagon now retains these aging weapons in its stockpiles, halting recycling to preserve military readiness amid global tensions.

The U.S. stopped TNT production in the mid-1980s due to hazardous waste issues, relying on foreign suppliers. “That comes as two of the other main sources of TNT, Russia and China, have stopped exporting to the United States,” the officials said. Ukraine, another former supplier, now uses its TNT domestically. This scarcity disrupts commercial blasting at quarries, which rely on TNT to extract granite for roads, bridges, and buildings, risking project delays and cost increases.

“The world as we know it does not exist without industrial explosives,” said Clark Mica, president of an explosives trade association, underscoring the crisis’s impact on infrastructure.

Congress authorized a $435 million Army-run TNT plant in Kentucky, set to open in 2028, but it will produce TNT only for military use, leaving private industries like mining without solutions. Alternatives like PETN, made at three U.S. factories, are under consideration, but scaling production is uncertain. An Army spokeswoman, speaking anonymously, confirmed efforts to secure new TNT sources beyond Poland and enhance domestic propellant production. The shortage threatens military preparedness and America’s infrastructure development.