Are nuclear weapons next after cluster bombs?
www.workers.org
So desperate is President Joe Biden to expand the U.S./NATO war against Russia being carried out in Ukraine, that on July 7 he announced plans to send in $800 million worth of cluster bombs. Over 120 countries, including many U.S. allies, have signed agreements to prohibit the production or use of c

Early in the war, the Biden administration alleged that Russia was using cluster bombs and claimed this would be a “war crime” if true. Now Biden is trying to counter critics by claiming that U.S. cluster bombs, with an alleged dud rate of 2.5%, have a lower dud rate than Russia’s bombs.

No joke necessary.

  • PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
    51·
    1 year ago

    these are not new munitions, they were manufactured in the 80s and the numbers come from tests back then

    If both munitions and the tests were from the 80’s i assume the number would be even higher now since 40 years of deterioration.

    • OrnluWolfjarl@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
      9·
      1 year ago

      https://www.hrw.org/legacy/backgrounder/arms/cluster031803.htm

      This a report from 2003 regarding all US cluster munitions. It’s largely based on US Pentagon reports. The specific munitions the US is sending to Ukraine are the 155mm DPICM M483A1 & M864 artillery projectiles (2nd bullet point on the list). The 14% dud rate it reports is from a 2000 study, which admits the munitions are old which is what caused a higher-than-expected dud rate when used in the field.

      So yes, assuming a linear half-life, the dud rate of these munitions is probably closer to 30% now (which, by the way, is the number the US uses to accuse Russia for its use of cluster munition and their high dud rate).

      • PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
        41·
        1 year ago

        which, by the way, is the number the US uses to accuse Russia for its use of cluster munition and their high dud rate

        They aren’t even pretending in their projections anymore…