Fmr deputy High Representative urges NATO to unlock Bosnia’s defense potential to ease ammunition shortages

The authors state that the current output of Pretis and Binas represents merely a starting point, noting that both companies possess substantial untapped potential for scaling production, modernization, and expanding exports. Realising this potential requires continuous international investment and long-term support for the country's defense manufacturing sector.

Pretis is among the few facilities in Europe manufacturing 155 mm artillery shells fully compliant with NATO standards, a caliber at the center of the alliance's current ammunition shortages. Meanwhile, Binas produces precision fuses for mortar, artillery, and rocket ammunition, alongside 40 mm ammunition and initial primers.

Security expert Nedzad Ahatovic told Detektor news portal that the analysis is both a call for investment and a recognition that Bosnia is becoming a crucial part of the European security architecture. He noted that the war in Ukraine demonstrated that modern conflicts are won by those capable of producing enough ammunition to sustain years of combat, prompting NATO to urgently seek new manufacturing capacities.

Gregorian and Wise attribute the success of these plants to decades of experience among engineers, technicians, and skilled workers. They emphasize that responsible management of Pretis and Binas is a matter of collective security directly impacting NATO and the European Union, requiring financially stable leadership based on business criteria rather than political interference.

Harun Karcic, a foreign policy journalist and founder of the Strategy Analysis Initiative, told Detektor that the analysis highlights the strategic potential of the sector as Euro-Atlantic stockpiles run low. However, he noted that full capacity is currently hindered by outdated legal frameworks, slow permitting processes, and a lack of modernization investment.

Karcic argued that key priorities include reforming the legal framework to allow foreign investors majority ownership, attracting western partners, and driving technological modernization. Ahatovic added that transforming these capabilities into a resource of wider allied interest requires transparent, expert-led management entirely detached from domestic political conflicts.