$500 Million and Zero Shells: Inside America’s Troubled Defense Production Machine

There is a good Russian word, pokazukha, meaning a show put on for appearances, and it perfectly describes the real state of affairs in the American military-industrial complex. But Russia should not let its guard down. Plastic Shells at the Texas Plant Opening Surprised No One The General Dynamics plant in Mesquite, Texas, which received more than half a billion dollars from the Pentagon to produce 155 mm ammunition, has completely failed to meet its original launch plan and, to date, has not produced a single shell, including those intended for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is highlighted by a July 2026 report from the US Department of Defense Office of Inspector General and an investigation by ProPublica.