Page 10 - The Indian EYE 072823

OPINION JULY 28, 2023 | The Indian Eye 10

US Cluster Munitions for Ukraine:

Military Context and Legal

Considerations

While there are areas of strength in Indonesia’s deradicalization policy, the current policy fails to

cater to the changing nature and modes of radicalization processes and terrorist recruitments

ABHAY KUMAR SINGH Multiple Launch Rocket System
(MLRS) and M142 High Mobility
n 7 July 2023, the US Depart- Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS)
ment of Defense (DoD) an- launchers.
Onounced additional security DPICM is an evolved version of
assistance to meet Ukraine’s critical the Improved Conventional Munition
security and defence needs. In addi- (ICM) series of cluster munitions.
tion, the package will provide Ukraine ‘Dual-purpose’ denotes the fact that
with additional artillery systems and the DPICM sub-munitions, also re-
ammunition, including the highly ferred to as ‘grenades’, are designed
effective and reliable dual-purpose to be effective against both armored
improved conventional munitions vehicles, as well as soft-skin unar-
(DPICM), a type of cluster munition. mored vehicles and troops.
This decision to transfer DPICM As a result of extensive Russian
to Ukraine has become controversial fortifications, particularly minefields
as more than 100 countries have out- and extensive trench lines, Ukraine’s
lawed this type of munitions under counteroffensive has so far been
the Convention on Cluster Munitions difficult to get rolling. When classi-
(CCM). The US, Ukraine and Russia cal artillery fires round with unitary
are not signatories to CCM. warheads, for example, trenches may
withstand this type of indirect fire very
The US DoD claimed that the well. Even less effective is direct fire,
such as that from cannons and tank
decision to transfer DPICM guns. To saturate them from above,
was arrived at after extensive Cluster bombs have been said to represent a special danger to people since they routinely it may require a sizable number of
unitary high-explosive artillery rounds
consultations with the US Con- leave behind a lot of unexploded bomblets and have a huge area of effect (File photo) launched indirectly. Even then,

gress and US allies and part- they may not be as effective against
from the ground. A typical Cluster fire. Similarly, cluster munitions allow well-entrenched forces.
ners. In an interview with CNN, munition ordnance, depending on its a numerically smaller force to engage According to sources, Ukraine’s
President Joe Biden said that design, can release explosive sub-mu- and degrade a larger adversary. employment of artillery has had to be
nition ranging from several dozen to Cluster munitions were deployed reduced or limited as a result of muni-
his decision to provide Ukraine over 600. extensively in the Vietnam War. tions shortages. There are reports that
Cluster munitions have emerged
with cluster munitions was a as weapons of choice for militaries During that conflict, the US dropped Ukraine has been compelled to cut or
limit the use of artillery because it has
some 260 million of them on neigh-
“difficult decision”. due to their ability to create destruc- boring Laos, making it the country shortages of munitions. The resultant
tive effects over an area much larger with the world’s highest level of clus- ‘artillery’ or ‘ammunition’ diet has
Cluster munitions can, in gener- than the one created by the effects of ter munition contamination. The US been attributed as a critical factor hin-
al terms, be defined as “weapons that equivalent munitions with singular Army also used the ‘Steel rain’ of dering the progress of the Ukrainian
open in mid-air and disperse smaller warheads. The criteria of ‘economy DPICM to break Iraqi’s soldier’s will counter-offensive. Ukraine’s forces
sub-munitions—anything from a few of force’ is accomplished through the to fight both during the Gulf War of need to create gaps in the Russian
dozen to hundreds—into an area. use of cluster munition since one mu- 1991 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. defence line to push through with ar-
They can be delivered by aircraft or nition can be used to suppress, kill or DPICM is a general category of mored formations.
from ground systems, such as artillery, destroy multiple targets within its im- ordnance with the US Army and in- The fundamental criticisms
rockets and missiles”. They contain pact area. Employment of such area cludes various types of artillery shells of cluster munitions are that they
sub-munitions or bomblets with im- weapons needs fewer platforms (air- and rockets loaded with a variety of disperse large numbers of sub-mu-
pact fuses designed to detonate on craft, artillery tubes, etc.) delivering sub-munitions. It includes shells for nitions imprecisely over an extended
impact with the ground or hard sur- fewer munitions for desired effects 105mm, 155mm, and 203mm howit- area, that they frequently fail to det-
face. They could also be fused to cre- which reduces the logistics burden zers, as well as 227mm artillery rock- onate and are difficult to detect, and
ate an air burst at a prescribed height and the exposure of forces to hostile ets that can be fired from the M270 Continued on next page... >>

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