Welcome to the Slaughterhouse

Welcome to the Slaughterhouse

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by Nick Mottern and Jack Gilroy, published on Counterpunch, August 8, 2023

What does Ukraine need the most? Its military officials now list five things when asked, Dmitri Alperovitch said in his latest podcast, which was recorded in Ukraine.  Those five things are “artillery shells, artillery shells, artillery shells, artillery shells, and more artillery shells.”

U.S. President Joe Biden said much the same when asked a similar question about two weeks ago at the conclusion of this year’s NATO summit in Lithuania.: “What we need most of all is artillery shells, and they’re in short supply.  We’re working on that.”  Continue reading “Welcome to the Slaughterhouse”

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”

Military Drones Swarming Ukraine Skies, Other Hot Spots; Anything Goes When It Comes to International Law

Military Drones Swarming Ukraine Skies, Other Hot Spots; Anything Goes When It Comes to International Law

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by Tara Sonenshine, published on The Conversation, May 19, 2023

Loud explosions rock the evening sky. Streaks of light appear like comets. Missiles rain down. Below, people scramble for cover. The injured are taken on stretchers – the dead, buried.

That is daily life in Ukraine, where pilotless vehicles known as drones litter the sky in an endless video gamelike – but actually very real – war with Russia.

Both Russia and Ukraine are using drones in this war to remotely locate targets and drop bombs, among other purposes.  Continue reading “Military Drones Swarming Ukraine Skies, Other Hot Spots; Anything Goes When It Comes to International Law”

Drone Proliferation in the Ukraine War

Drone Proliferation in the Ukraine War

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Posted by Monroy Mathias on Security Architectures in the EU, November 2022

Russia’s war in Ukraine is increasingly being fought with unmanned systems. Both sides are using so-called „loitering munitions“ originating from the US or Iran. A new Iranian drone clone could also soon be flying attacks.

Iran wants to export more attack drones to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine. The exact number of units is not known. However, the unmanned systems are said to be part of a package of 1,000 additional weapons, including short-range surface-to-surface missiles. This was reported by the US news magazine CNN. The delivery is to take place before the end of the year. Russia intends to use it to supplement its dwindling supply of small Lancet-3 attack drones.   Continue reading “Drone Proliferation in the Ukraine War”

US and Taiwan Plan tTo Equip Kiev Regime Forces With ‘Swarms-of-Swarms’ Drones

US and Taiwan Plan tTo Equip Kiev Regime Forces With ‘Swarms-of-Swarms’ Drones

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by Drago Bosnic, published on InfoBRICS, March 28, 2023

There’s very little doubt that warfare has changed dramatically in recent decades, with the tactical gap between leading militaries and those of local powers (or even the usually overlooked small countries) narrowing as the proliferation of unmanned systems continues unabated. With the advent of the information era, the abundance of war footage has essentially eliminated the once-assured readiness of tens of millions to go to war, leaving militaries around the globe struggling to meet their recruitment quotas. Losing even a hundred drones is certainly preferable to having ten soldiers (or even one) killed and/or wounded in action, particularly for politicians and their respective parties seeking reelection. As a result, drones, robots and other unmanned vehicles have become increasingly important.   Continue reading “US and Taiwan Plan tTo Equip Kiev Regime Forces With ‘Swarms-of-Swarms’ Drones”

Come Test Your Gear Against Russian Forces, Ukrainians Urge US Defense Firms

Come Test Your Gear Against Russian Forces, Ukrainians Urge US Defense Firms

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by Patrick Tucker, published in Defense One, March 3, 2023

FORT WALTON, Florida–U.S. defense manufacturers should bring their gear to Ukraine to try it out against an enemy that is more agile than generally perceived, Ukrainian special operators said at a SOF conference.

At least in the electronic spectrum, the war in Ukraine is constantly changing as both sides develop new ideas and countermeasures daily, the operators said, inviting U.S. firms to test their equipment in real battle zones.  Continue reading “Come Test Your Gear Against Russian Forces, Ukrainians Urge US Defense Firms”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – OCT. 16, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – OCT. 16, 2022

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Contact: Nick Mottern, Co-coordinator, BanKillerDrones.org
(914) 806-6179

U.N. SECETARY GENERAL IS BEGGED TO CALL FOR HALT IN USE OF WEAPONIZED DRONES
IN UKRAINE WAR AND ELSEWHERE.

The anti-war group BanKillerDrones.org, which emphasizes the inhumanity and escalatory danger of weaponized drones, begs U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres to call on all sides in the Ukraine War to immediately stop using weaponized drones of any kind in the interest of reducing the level of killing, maiming and terror and to contain the war, which is spreading rapidly.  Continue reading “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – OCT. 16, 2022”

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