Nammo CEO Warns Cutting U.S. Ties Could Trigger a Decade‑Long Capability Gap for Europe

RAUFOSS, Norway — The chief executive of a leading European ammunition and rocket‑motor manufacturer has cautioned that severing industrial ties with the United States could leave European allies facing a capability shortfall that would take up to ten years to rebuild.

Morten Brandtzæg, CEO of Norwegian firm NAMMO, said at the opening of the company’s multi‑purpose symposium that if his firm can no longer supply AMRAAM rocket motors to Raytheon, European F‑35 fighters would be unable to carry those weapons. Raytheon relies heavily on NAMMO for the air‑to‑air missile’s engines, and Brandtzæg warned that disrupting that supply chain would be counter‑productive, estimating it would take Europe five to ten years to develop comparable capability.

He stressed that there is no time for such a delay, citing Russia’s war in Ukraine. “The industrial base among our allies is already very interconnected; we cannot break it up,” he argued.

U.S.–European relations have become unusually strained under President Donald Trump’s second term, with Trump repeatedly threatening to acquire Greenland and, in 2024, implying that NATO’s Article V collective‑defence pledge might not apply to allies that do not contribute enough. In response, European leaders have called for a stronger domestic defence industry to reduce reliance on the United States.

Nevertheless, speaking to Breaking Defense and other trade publications on Tuesday before the symposium, Brandtzæg warned that short‑term political turbulence must not be allowed to destroy decades of industrial cooperation between Europe and the United States.

“It is not for this industry to start running its own politics,” he said, adding, “I support strong cooperation among allied nations, including every NATO member and a few other countries. I believe that is how we build deterrence.”

Turning to NAMMO’s own operations, Brandtzæg said the company “stands ready to step in whenever needed” to expand U.S. solid‑rocket‑motor production, noting that it already possesses the technology and a proven process. He highlighted additional investment in the Perry, Florida facility and said, “We are in constant talks to help ramp up production of rocket motors for U.S. government missiles.”

At home, NAMMO has recently inaugurated a third rocket‑motor production line at Raufoss, with Brandtzæg indicating that further lines are a long‑term goal. “We are ramping up everywhere, and we expect to double the size of Raufoss by 2032,” he told reporters.

Early in the Ukraine conflict, Brandtzæg urged governments to award longer‑term contracts for 155 mm ammunition, arguing that Western industry is engaged in a capacity war with Moscow.

He reported that NAMMO is in “a better place” than last year, yet production increases for the shells remain “not sufficient yet.”

At the symposium, he added that restocking 155 mm stocks for European armies “is not there yet,” as “all of our production is going to Ukraine.” (Breaking Defense accepted travel and accommodation for the trip from NAMMO.)

NAMMO’s immediate plan to boost 155 mm output hinges on a new, state‑of‑the‑art facility slated to open at the end of this year, with production beginning in 2027. The $180 million site will take two to three years to build, and its output will be sufficient for roughly seven days of usage in Ukraine, Brandtzæg said.

Jack Watling, a senior research fellow for applied military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute in the United Kingdom, warned that beyond industrial planning, if Russia’s war expands into a direct NATO conflict, the alliance’s “biggest challenge” will be keeping ammunition flowing from factories to the front lines, compounded by raw‑material constraints.

Speaking at the symposium today, he cautioned that Western governments should not approve new 155 mm orders unless production of critical inputs such as nitrocellulose can be expanded and industry can guarantee the continued supply of nitric acid.

He noted that dependence on raw materials essential for 155 mm artillery shells has plagued the industry throughout the Ukraine war, a problem now growing more acute because of infrastructure hurdles.

“Unless we have the high explosive in stock, simply ordering more 155 mm shells will not solve the problem,” he added. “Setting up a new propellant factory involves substantial planning costs, and in the UK those overheads can render the project unprofitable.”

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