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KEY UPDATE to: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly -- Sending Cluster Munitions to Ukraine -- and a POLL [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-07-10
-— ORIGINAL DIARY ---
Why is the US now sending cluster munitions to Ukraine after waiting so long to provide them ? The good, the bad and the ugly of this decision. The good is the military benefit for Ukraine and for the US. The bad is the military effect on Ukraine and their civilians, and international condemnation. The ugly is why they are being sent now.
At the end, there is a poll for you to vote your opinion. Comments are always welcome.
The Good
Cluster munitions are used for a variety of military reasons. At the current time, Ukraine needs them to stop Russian counter-attacks on their positions, especially after they breach Russian defenses. They can also be used to attack Russian trenches by getting small bomblets into and near the trenches and making it more difficult for the Russians to get out.
Cluster munitions are good to attack Russian troop and equipment concentrations because these munitions cover a wider area than artillery and missiles.
The military benefit to the US is discussed in the Ugly.
The Bad
There is a lot of bad.
Militarily, the unexploded bomblets impede Ukraine from advancing into an area that has been hit with cluster munitions. These bomblets are just as dangerous to Ukrainian troops as they are to Russian troops.
Cluster bombs are a disaster for civilians. They kill and maim civilians during and long after the war is over. This is the main reason for the international ban on their use. (Neither Russia, Ukraine, nor the US are signatories to the International Treaty banning the use of cluster munitions.)
Ukraine and the US have been wearing the white hat of the good guy in this war. Supplying cluster munitions to Ukraine sullies the US image as it receives international condemnation for their decision. Using these weapons may sully Ukraine’s image depending upon where they use them (not in populated areas), and how much they clean up after them. How they are used will also affect the US image.
The Ugly
The real ugly part of this decision is why it is being made now. The US supply of conventional artillery shells is projected to run low at their current rate of expenditure. The US lacks the manufacturing capacity to keep up with the current rate of expenditure of conventional shells. Supplying cluster munitions now is to make up this supply gap.
While this decision is understandable, and probably necessary, the author thinks it is terrible to have to resort to these munitions now to fill the supply gap. The US should have been able to project this gap once the Russian winter offensive began, and supply these munitions much earlier in 2023.
If Ukraine had cluster munitions during the Russian winter offensive, then they would have had to use far fewer conventional munitions to stop the Russians. It takes fewer rounds of cluster munitions to hit the same area than with conventional munitions.
Using cluster munitions in the Battle of Bakhmut may have turned the tide for Ukraine, as they would have been far more effective in stopping the initial Wagner human wave attacks, as well as their later improved attacking strategy using fewer soldiers. And, regardless of when used, they would have caused more Russian casualties, which was one of the major objectives of Ukraine’s defense.
Go Figure !
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/10/2179860/-KEY-UPDATE-to-The-Good-the-Bad-and-the-Ugly-Sending-Cluster-Munitions-to-Ukraine-and-a-POLL
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