The United States harbors selfish motives (a global hotspot), aiding Ukraine with cluster ammunition and ammunition | Cluster | The United States

On July 11th, a man watched an exhibit simulating the dispersion of cluster ammunition by the US military at the Vientiane Exhibition Hall in Laos.

Photo by Kaijo

The US government recently announced an additional $800 million worth of military aid to Ukraine, including large lethal cluster ammunition classified as prohibited by US law. Cluster ammunition is a weapon with strong lethality, significant harm, and the potential to pose a long-term security threat to civilians. This move has sparked widespread criticism both domestically and internationally in the United States.

Continue to stir up regional tensions

According to a statement from the US Department of Defense, the decision to provide cluster ammunition to Ukraine was made by the Biden administration after extensive consultations with Congress, US allies, and partners. The list of weapons and equipment in the statement shows that the cluster ammunition for this aid to Ukraine was fired from 155mm caliber howitzers, and the specific quantity has not been announced.

Cluster ammunition, also known as cluster bombs, is an airborne bomb or artillery shell made by combining more than ten or even hundreds of small ammunition. After being dropped, it will release small bombs in the air on a large scale and detonate when or after touching the ground. But these small bombs may also fail to detonate properly, posing a long-term threat to civilians near scattered locations.

"The United States' aid to Ukraine is not out of humanitarianism and so-called justice, but out of blatant geopolitical considerations." Teng Jianqun, director of the Diplomatic Research Center at Hunan Normal University, said in an interview with our reporter that the United States continues to provide weapons to Ukraine with the aim of continuing the conflict situation and strengthening its restraint on Russia and control over Europe.

"The United States will also help Ukraine with cluster munitions at the expense of public anger, mainly in order to enhance Ukraine's combat power and continue to provoke regional tensions." Gong Xiaohao, a scholar at the Institute of International Security of the Chinese Academy of Modern International Relations, analyzed that since the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the "firepower" of U.S. aid to Ukraine has been increasing, and the bottom line has gradually decreased - from the initial defensive weapons, light weapons, to offensive weapons such as main battle tanks, seahorse rockets, heavy weapons, and now the cluster munitions that cause international disputes. The United States will transport a large number of cluster munitions to Ukraine, which will aggravate the casualties and environmental damage caused by the conflict, making the Russia-Ukraine conflict more unpredictable.

The British Broadcasting Corporation reported on this topic that the controversial decision of the Biden administration has caused its allies to distance themselves from it, as American allies are troubled by the aid of cluster ammunition to Ukraine. German Foreign Minister Berbok stated that Germany opposes such actions by the United States. British Prime Minister Sunak responded by stating that the UK government prohibits the production or use of cluster ammunition and also discourages other countries from using it. France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Canada, New Zealand and other countries have publicly expressed opposition to the US decision.

UN Secretary General Guterres recently opposed the US government's decision to provide cluster ammunition to Ukraine through his spokesperson, in order to avoid the use of cluster ammunition in Ukraine. The United Nations Human Rights Office criticized that "the use of such ammunition should be immediately stopped and not used anywhere.".

"Clearing inventory", "fast discounting", for votes

"The US government broke through the 'red line' to provide cluster ammunition to Ukraine due to a shortage of Ukrainian military ammunition inventory," Agence France Presse reported. Reuters and the Associated Press also analyzed that cluster ammunition and 155mm caliber shells use the same artillery firing device, and providing cluster ammunition will temporarily alleviate the pressure of insufficient reserves of 155mm shells on the Ukrainian front line. NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg once bluntly stated that the Ukrainian military's ammunition consumption rate far exceeds that of Western countries in ammunition production, causing NATO country inventories to bottom out and making it "unaffordable" for military enterprises.

"On the one hand, NATO's arms inventory is in short supply, and on the other hand, the United States needs to 'clear the inventory' of cluster munitions." Gong Xiaohao believes that since the Russia-Ukraine conflict lasted more than a year, the United States and the West have little ammunition inventory left due to continued aid to Ukraine. At the same time, the military production capacity of the United States and the West has not significantly expanded, and there is limited space for continued increase in weapons aid to Ukraine. And the United States has a relatively sufficient inventory of cluster ammunition, which can be quickly supplied to Ukraine, making it a temporary top option on the US aid to Ukraine's weapons list.

The National Broadcasting Corporation reported that the United States produced cluster ammunition during the Cold War and subsequently stored large quantities, many of which were nearing their expiration date. According to the US Department of Defense, the United States has stored a large amount of unused cluster ammunition, possibly up to 3 million pieces. Among them, the United States has stored approximately 10000 cluster ammunition in Europe, which can be almost immediately transported to Ukraine.

In addition, US law prohibits the production, use, or transfer of cluster ammunition with a dud rate higher than 1% to other countries. According to The Washington Post, the dud rate of cluster ammunition in this aid to Ukraine is about 6%. According to Human Rights Watch and the International Red Cross, in actual warfare, the "non explosion rate" of cluster ammunition small bombs can range from 20% to 40%. "For American arms dealers, aiding Ukraine with cluster ammunition can reduce domestic cluster ammunition inventories in the United States and quickly 'discount' cluster ammunition in warehouses that does not meet US legal standards," Teng Jianqun said.

"This time, the United States announced its assistance to Ukraine with cluster munitions, also out of the consideration of the United States government to meet the demands of relevant domestic interest groups." Teng Jianqun analyzed that since the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the United States government has been "pouring oil into the fire", and has provided more than 40 batches of military assistance to Ukraine, with a total amount of more than 40 billion dollars, from which the United States military industrial complex has made huge profits. For the White House, the Biden administration urgently needs to fight for an electoral advantage before the 2024 presidential election, and this order will help it gain support from the military industrial complex.

"2024 is the year of the US presidential election. The latest poll shows that the competition between the two parties is becoming increasingly fierce. Military aid to Ukraine is currently the 'political correctness' of the United States. Under the leadership of election thinking, the Biden administration has chosen to go all the way with a more aggressive strategy to demonstrate a tough image towards Russia, hoping to salvage the low support rate." Gong Xiaohao analyzed.

Setting a bad precedent

Teng Jianqun stated that the US aid to Ukraine with cluster ammunition will inevitably leave behind humanitarian disaster risks. On the one hand, the design of cluster ammunition is to kill large areas of war zones and has a certain dud rate. Ammunition such as accidental strikes, misplacement, and duds can easily cause direct harm to civilians, posing a threat to their personal safety. On the other hand, dangerous explosives such as cluster ammunition and landmines left behind by the war zone may pose a potential threat to future agricultural production recovery and cause significant damage to the local ecological environment. This negative impact is widespread and far-reaching.

According to The Washington Post, the United States has used cluster ammunition in every major war it has participated in since the Korean War. According to estimates from the US Department of Defense, the US led multinational alliance has dropped over 1500 cluster munitions in Afghanistan. The US military has used cluster ammunition in the Vietnam War, Gulf War, Kosovo War, Afghanistan War, and Iraq War, causing extensive damage to civilian facilities and numerous civilian casualties.

Within the United States, dozens of Democratic lawmakers expressed disappointment with the Biden administration's aid to Ukraine's cluster ammunition, with at least 38 human rights organizations openly opposing the United States providing cluster ammunition to Ukraine. Phil Giraldi, an official in charge of counter-terrorism affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency in the United States, said, "These bombs will harm a large number of civilians because they will be dropped on vast areas. For a long time to come, unexploded bombs buried underground will become a 'curse' in Ukrainian fields."

Gong Xiaohao stated that the US aid to Ukraine with cluster ammunition has set a bad precedent and is a significant blow to the conventional arms control agenda. The Biden administration cited the "special authorization" given to the President of the United States under the Foreign Aid Act, bypassing Congress's push for cluster ammunition military aid to Ukraine, which is a significant setback in the field of cluster ammunition control, damaging the credibility of the United States and causing a negative demonstration effect on the international community.

Teng Jianqun stated that in the issue of cluster ammunition aid to Ukraine, the United States only considers its own geopolitical and commercial interests, and ignores the tense regional situation, humanitarian disasters, and ecological damage caused by it. The reckless actions of the United States may lead to a repeat of the humanitarian disasters caused by cluster ammunition in countries such as Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

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