US Considers Sending Cluster Munitions to Ukraine

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Facts

• Amid Ukraine's struggles to make major gains in its long-anticipated counteroffensive launched earlier this month, the Biden administration is said to be strongly considering approving the transfer of cluster munitions to the war-torn country, according to a number of US officials who spoke to CNN.¹
• Two senior US officials also told NBC News that the US is leaning towards providing the controversial weapon to Ukraine, stating that an announcement could come as early as next month. Meanwhile, a third official cited by the publication specified that the US is mulling sending Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions, or DPICMs — an advanced cluster bomb capable of being fired from artillery systems that Kyiv has already received.²
• Ukraine has made repeated requests to Washington for cluster bombs — munitions that disperse in the air, releasing scores of explosive 'bomblets' over a wide area. DPICMs release 644 bomblets, each with a blast radius of 100 meters; last December, the Biden admin. said it had concerns over the use of such weapons and declined to fulfill Ukraine's request.³
• Among the reasons the US has been reluctant to provide the weapons is because cluster bombs pose a greater risk to civilians. Additionally, key US allies including the UK, France, and Germany are all signatories to the convention that bans their production and use; neither the US, Russia nor Ukraine are signatories, with the latter two reportedly using the weapon during the present war.¹
• The renewed debate about their use hotted up last week when Laura Cooper, the Pentagon's Europe chief, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the cluster weapons 'would be useful, especially against dug-in Russian positions on the battlefield.' Congressional Republicans backed the move, while Democrats opposed it.⁴
• Meanwhile, although a decision is yet to be made, US officials speaking to CNN said believe they have managed to reduce some allies' concerns about the prospect of sending such weapons to Ukraine.¹

Sources: ¹CNN, ²NBC, ³POLITICO (a) and ⁴POLITICO (b).

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by POLITICO. While all concerns will be debated and no decision has yet been reached, the transfer of cluster bombs to Ukraine would provide Kyiv with an immediate increase of firepower that will help it punch through Russian defensive lines. The move would improve the prospects of a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Human Rights Watch. Cluster bombs can inflict devastating damage to civilians — particularly if fired at densely populated areas. Worse still, released bomblets frequently do not explode on impact, meaning they can remain a threat like landmines for years to come. The US should not be considering sending the weapons to Ukraine, rather, it should be backing disarmament initiatives.