Cluster Munitions Will Change Nothing for Ukraine

Cluster Munitions Will Change Nothing for Ukraine

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by Scott Ritter, published on Information Clearing House, July 13, 2023

I give the last word for today to Scott Ritter, an expert by any standard.   [jb]

The US decision to provide Ukraine with the M864 DPICM round is driven by one thing and one thing only….

The Biden administration has announced that it will be authorizing a new tranche of military support for Ukraine
Totaling around $800 million, it will also feature Bradley and Stryker fighting vehicles, air defense missiles, and anti-mine equipment—and hundreds of thousands of 155mm artillery dual-purpose improved conventional munition (DPICM) rounds, the M864.

The United States has, prior to the recent announcement, refused to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine for one simple reason—much of the world, including many of America’s NATO allies—views cluster munitions as representing an unacceptable risk to civilian life due to the high occurrence of “dud” munitions (i.e., munitions that fail to detonate on impact). As a result, cluster munitions continue to kill long after the battle where they were employed has ended. The victims tend to be civilians who stumble upon these munitions and inadvertently set them off.  Continue reading “Cluster Munitions Will Change Nothing for Ukraine”

Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions

Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions

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I need ammunition, not a ride
attributed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

from GlobalSecurity.org, July 17, 2023

This article quotes a lot of people who do not agree on what is happening in Ukraine, but it is interesting for that very reason.  Pick your poison.  But it also describes how they work and what the risks are.  Cluster Munitions are clearly a risk to civilians all excuses aside.

Both the Ukrainians and the Russians used cluster munitions during the full-scale war that began in February 2022. A single Dual-purpose improved conventional munitions (DPICM) cluster artillery shell can do the job of 10 conventional high-explosive fragmentation shells when destroying most typical targets, which is extremely important in a situation where the supply of ammunition to Ukraine had faced enormous difficulties. Continue reading “Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions”

Downing US Drones Saves Thousands of Lives

Downing US Drones Saves Thousands of Lives

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by Drago Bosnic, published on InfoBRICS, March 16, 2023

This event illustrates what I have long seen as some critical issues with the use of large weaponizable, intelligence seeking drones.  Stealth warriors, they fly below the radar, so to speak.  Targets may see them, but they cannot ascertain whether or not they are armed.  Regardless, the surveillance they do provides information to weapons somewhere, regardless of whether those weapons are actually on the drone.   They cross boundaries without raising red flags.  These drones play diverse roles in war, but in no case are they innocent like, say, the Chinese weather balloon the US recently shot down off the our east coast.  [jb]
Continue reading “Downing US Drones Saves Thousands of Lives”

Predator Drones ‘Useless’ in Most Wars, Top Air Force General Says

Predator Drones ‘Useless’ in Most Wars, Top Air Force General Says

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by John Reed, published on Foreign Policy, September 19, 2013

The drones that have proved so useful at hunting al Qaeda are “useless” in nearly every other battlefield scenario, says a top Air Force general. So, for the first time, the Air Force is proposing culling the fleet of little, propeller-driven MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper drones in favor of stealthier, faster aircraft.   Continue reading “Predator Drones ‘Useless’ in Most Wars, Top Air Force General Says”

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