The Grand Master of Artillery (grand maître de l’artillerie) controls all the officers and the artillery of the French army, as well as oversees all sieges and encampments, the making of gunpowder and cannons and management of the arsenals. Companies of guns and gunners are assigned to various armies at the discretion of the Grand Master. The Royal Army is chronically short of artillery, a situation exacerbated by the competing needs of the Navy, border fortresses, and coastline fortifications.