Since 2021, the US has shipped hundreds of howitzers to Ukraine. But over time, their barrels wear out. Replacing them isn’t easy, because America has just one factory that makes barrels for howitzers like the M777, and it’s more than 200 years old. To keep up with demand, the Pentagon has pledged $1.7 billion to modernize the facility, the Watervliet Arsenal in New York state. Production has already tripled over the past three years, reaching its highest level in more than four decades as the