Munitions Industry

The production of munitions, typically conventional weapons and ammunition, has been an important aspect of every American war effort. During certain wars, American war production has been a key factor in the outcome of the conflict. The production of munitions has increased dramat-ically during wartime, as existing weapons stocks are rapidly depleted. The rapid industrialization of the United States over two centuries has seen the munitions industry remain at the forefront of technological change, and it has even become a vital part of the peacetime economy. As weapons systems become more complex and production times increase, the munitions industry is likely to remain a crucial aspect of American military planning.

During the American Revolution, Patriot forces had great difficulty obtaining and maintaining sufficient weapons. After the war, the memory of these problems led the new U.S. government to establish federal arsenals for the production of munitions, initially at Springfield, Massachusetts, and Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Although cen-tralized, the federal arsenals initially still required special-ized workers, each producing individual pieces one at a time. In 1798, Eli Whitney agreed to produce muskets for [Page 537]the government, and he introduced the concept of inter-changeable parts. The system was gradually adopted by the federal arsenals, allowing faster, cheaper production and easier maintenance. In a controversial argument, one histo-rian has suggested that this cheaper manufacturing process allowed for the rapid spread of guns throughout civilian society in the middle of the 19th century.

During the Civil War, many private firms were awarded contracts to produce weapons for both the Union and Confederate forces, as government arsenals alone could not meet the demand. The Union's massive industrial capacity allowed it to far outstrip the Confederacy in munitions pro-duction and played a key role in the eventual Union victory. During the war, approximately 90 percent of all the small arms produced in the United States were produced for the use of the Union. In the late 19th century, production by pri-vate corporations increased, as munitions producers sought to sell weapons both to private American citizens and to the U.S. military through massive government contracts.

By the outbreak of World War I, American corporations were capable of tremendous output and were the largest exporter on the world armaments market. As the war inten-sified in Europe, the demand for weapons steadily increased. American corporations sold untold numbers of munitions to European governments on credit. Many American factories converted production lines to the cre-ation of munitions, primarily for export. American compa-nies capable of producing chemicals, propellants, and explosives were of particular interest to warring nations. Most American weapons exports went to Britain and France, with millions of dollars in unsecured loans. After the war, as isolationists questioned why the United States had inter-vened in Europe, a congressional commission was formed to investigate the relationship between the major munitions producers of the United States and the decision to go to war. The Nye Committee announced in 1936 that munitions pro-ducers had used questionable tactics to secure contracts with the American government and to encourage loose regu-lations for weapons exports. Furthermore, the largest com-panies involved in the munitions industry actively fought against the arms limitation agreements of the 1920s and 1930s. The Nye Committee sought to deter munitions companies from direct involvement or influence in the American military system, leading to a series of Neutrality acts in the late 1930s, which sharply curtailed the export of munitions from the United States.

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