ANALYSIS – Joe Biden has decided to supply Ukraine with controversial Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICMs), otherwise known as cluster bombs, to use against heavily entrenched Russian forces.
Up to now, the U.S. has been reluctant to supply these munitions. More than 120 nations have signed a treaty banning their use since unexploded bomblets can harm civilians years after the fighting has ended. (RELATED: Biden Authorizes Controversial Military Moves)
The U.S., Ukraine and Russia are not among the signatories to the ban.
Biden's controversial decision has produced a firestorm of protest, mostly from his own party and some close allies.
The U.K., Canada, Spain and New Zealand criticized Biden's decision. And former Democrat Sen. Patrick Leahy and current Sen. Jeff Merkley called cluster bombs “a weapon that the United States should be leading the global effort to prohibit.”
Biden also took well-deserved flak for saying, as justification for his decision, that Ukraine was running out of artillery ammunition and the U.S. was low too.
That's not something the president should say publicly ever, much less during a war. (RELATED: US Building Futuristic Weapons – But Relying On Eccentric's Help)
Had Donald Trump told our enemies we were low on ammo, the media would be roasting him alive.
Meanwhile, the former president said Biden's cluster bomb decision is “dragging” the U.S. “into WWIII.” Others note that the Russians are already using them against Ukraine and that these weapons are much needed to help the Ukrainians break through dug-in Russian lines.
The graphic shows details of M483A1 155mm howitzer-launched DPICMs and M42/46 submunitions.
DPICMs are designed to disperse small armor-piercing, anti-personnel submunitions or bomblets over a wide area, and U.S. military analysts have believe they would be a force-multiplier for the Ukrainian artillery in both offensive and defensive roles. (RELATED: One Year In, Finding A Path Forward For A Ukrainian Victory)
However, not all bomblets explode on impact, and the remnants can kill or injure people years later. Manufacturers claim a failure – or “dud” – rate of around 2.35%, but the International Red Cross estimates the dud rate in recent conflicts has been between 10-40%.
The Red Cross estimates could be based on data from prior conflicts where far less advanced cluster munitions were used. Or they could be relying on data from Russian cluster bombs used in Ukraine which do have up to a 40% dud rate.
Some studies suggest the real failure rate of U.S. DPICMs might be 14% or higher.
Still, American cluster munitions are likely closer to the claimed 2.35% rate than the far higher figures.
Regardless, U.S. law prohibits the transfer abroad of any cluster munitions with a dud rate of greater than 1%, meaning Biden may have to waive the limitation in this case.
Both the Russians and Ukrainians have been using cluster munitions, but the Ukrainian use has been limited, and the Russians have employed them far more extensively. (RELATED: Tucker Carlson Appears Wrong About Who Destroyed Ukrainian Dam)
The head of the U.N. Human Rights Council, Michelle Bachelet, reported on March 30 on at least 24 cases of Russians using cluster bombs since the beginning of the invasion. As of July 1, hundreds of attacks by Russian forces with cluster munitions have already been recorded in numerous cities and regions of Ukraine.
Max Boot writes in The Washington Post:
The most likely DPICMs that the United States will provide are M864 and M483A1 shells for 155mm howitzers, which contain 72 and 88 sub-munitions, respectively. The United States could also provide DPICMs for multiple-launch rocket systems and other weapons it has previously given to Ukraine. By one estimate, the United States has nearly 3 million DPICM rounds in its inventory.
So, did Biden make the right call?
The Wall Street Journal notes:
Ukraine isn't seeking to use these bombs against civilians. It wants them because they are running out of other munitions and figures they can compensate for some of the advantage Russia still holds. The greater risk to Ukrainian civilians is from Russia's invading army and indiscriminate weapons targeting.
If you can't see a moral distinction between Russia's aggression and Ukraine's use of cluster bombs for defense, then you have blurred vision. Those best suited to make the tradeoff between risks are the Ukrainians whose lives are on the line every day.
The Journal summarized it best: “Our only criticism is that the decision could have done more good earlier.”
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Send em. If pooter can use em, launch him some more! To the kremlin gremlin!
This just proves that Biden is a damned fool. If he continues his supply of Ukraine with exotic weapons Russia is going to feel the need to unleash the same on the the NATO troops and eventually NATO nations.
I must agree. What I feel Biden is doing is escalate the conflict. Cluster bombs? What will Putin use next? Tactical nuclear weapons? Then Biden will do some other stupid thing and Putin will no doubt go after NATO countries with strategic nuclear weapons. After that, what will we have? The start of WW3. In fact, I personally blame Biden for the attack on Ukraine. He predicted everything that Russia did. Russia attacked after simply putting on a show of force. As you wrote, Biden is a damn fool. A damn fool who fancies himself a great wartime leader.
Get the hell out of Ukraine now. You gave Putin our yellow cake uranium. You give Ukraine our billions. Did they resell the military hardware again from Afghanistan? This is how much I trust the things going on.
Fraud Joe doesn’t know what a cluster bomb is. Congress should stop ALL of the funding going to corrupt Ukraine.
Biden couldn’t make the right call if the right call were the only option.
VERY GOOD POINT!
It might be OK to help Ukraine, but Biden simply doesn’t know when to stop. I’ve seen reports that he’s given more than ALL the other NATO countries combined. Of course, what can we expect? The so-called Democrats whined and complained that Trump never served in the military. He at least went to a military school. What has Biden ever done? Graduated from high school, went to college, graduated at the bottom of each class, then went into politics. That guy doesn’t even know what the real world even looks like. What I’d like to know is why aren’t the Communists posing as Democrats crying because Biden never even started to actually serve our country instead of his wallet?
Why are we constantly wasting money there? Our economy is falling apart and giving our remaining economy to fight Russia? Russia should be our allies. Only support mass murders like CCP? wasted millions to support bioweapons labs for what? murdering more with creepy vaccines that kill? Created most deadly illnesses in those labs? To teach CCP also how to kill with bio weapons agents??