The Pentagon also saw the utility of using the weapons, according to testimony by Laura Cooper, deputy assistant secretary for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia. Ukraine had long requested the munitions as a way to take pressure off their use of more conventional shells, which are expended at a rate of thousands per day. The decision to send munitions “draws a stark contrast between two competing interests: the humanitarian dangers posed by these munitions but also the need to support Ukraine in its existential fight for survival,” Crow said Friday. Jason Crow, D-Colo., asked the Pentagon for information about dud rates, munitions types, and fuses, which can affect the dud rates. ![]() It is unclear how the White House arrived at this test result amid concerns that the real dud rate may be higher.Īs Pressure Builds, US Keeps Mum on Ukraine’s Cluster-Munitions Requestīiden Must Resist Calls to Send Cluster Munitions to Ukraine ![]() On Friday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the weapons would have a dud rate of 2.5 percent or less. sending cluster munitions because they can accidentally kill civilians, either in the initial blast or due to unexploded submunitions falling to the ground and detonating weeks, months, or years later.įor months the White House declined to send the ordinance despite Ukrainian requests. Human rights groups have opposed the U.S. Both Ukraine and Russia already use cluster munitions. ![]() military aid package for Ukraine, announced Friday, includes 155-millimeter artillery shells containing dual purpose improved conventional munitions, or cluster munitions.Ĭluster munitions are made up of smaller bombs that scatter over a wide area in order to maximize casualties among enemy troops. The United States will send cluster munitions to Ukraine, a decision that favors Ukraine’s hunger for ammunition over concerns by allies and human rights groups about the use of the widely banned weapon.
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