Thread by @MarkHertling

My @cnn colleagues @NatashaBertrand & @jimsciutto are reporting on the "cluster munition' decision that seems to be at a critical point.

They go by many names:
-"Cluster munitions."
-DP-ICM (Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions).
-"Steel Rain."

Here's a 🧵on them. 1/

https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1674836460749434882

I'll start by saying this: Approval will be a tough call for the Biden Administration. I can understand that.

It's because I have a bit of history w/ these weapons, from Desert Storm. I'm mentioned in this article. 2/
nytimes.com/2020/01/15/mag…

A War Story.

In Desert Storm, our Cavalry Squadron had the advance guard mission for @1stArmoredDiv. 10km in forward of the Division, Bradleys across a 20km front.

We'd been constantly moving for 3 days.

A few fights with rogue Iraqi units. Taking lots of prisoners. 3/

Our mission was to find Iraqi Republican Guards - the Medina & Tawakana Divisions- & then pass the fight to the @1stArmoredDiv Tank Brigades to fight.

We found them at 0130 on 27 Feb 1991.

Soon, I was outside my Bradley coordinating w/ the tank battalion Ops Officer. 4/

It was rainy & dark. We both heard 5 "pops" overhead.

5 DP-ICM artillery rounds had opened over us, but we didn't know what it was.

Each round had between 72-88 "bomblets."

In seconds, it was like we were inside a popcorn popper, with small bomblets landing around us. 5/

Several vehicles were hit. My Bradley sustained damaged to the TOW launcher & radio antennas. HMWWVs were penetrated; 1 had anti-tank weapons inside that exploded.

31 soldiers hit w/ shrapnel, two were seriously injured.

Unexploded bomblets were all around. 6/

All happened in seconds. We got the hell out of there. On leaving we ran over bomblets...more damage.

The unexploded bomblets -small grenades- remained. There's a 6-105 dud rate.

With all the rounds fired in Desert Storm, thousands of grenades littered the country. 7/

There's more.

DP-ICM fired from HIMARS/MLRS have between 518-644 bomblets in EACH missile...much more than the 155 arty rounds.

6 rockets in each HIMAR "spill" would drop 3800+ bomblets, over a wide area. With a 5% dud rate, that's 190 "grenades" remaining for each strike. 8/

Commanders who plan & incorporate these arty/rocket attacks with cluster munitions come to understand their forces are constrained from maneuvering through the areas, due to unexploded munitions and troop safety issues.

The US learned the hard way. 9/

nytimes.com/2019/12/04/mag…

There's also long-term threat to civilians.

Russia has been using cluster munitions in the Donbas since 2014. So has Ukraine.

1000s of Ukrainian civilians & 100s of children have been harmed from unexploded munitions in the Donbas since 2014. 10/

lieber.westpoint.edu/cluster-muniti…

The "debate" on the US providing cluster munitions features several political issues.

The US, Ukraine & Russia are not signatories to the ban, but most NATO allies are (Turkey is not; they've provided them to UAF).

That affects the decision.11/
icrc.org/en/war-and-law…

Also, at the beginning of the 2022 invasion, RU used cluster munitions in large cities that were called "war crimes."

Nation cede the moral high ground when they use them as they are indiscriminate & will harm civilians.

That plays a role, too. 12/
scientificamerican.com/article/how-in…

Finally, DP-ICM was designed in the 80's to strike Soviet groups of artillery, before the advent of US precision artillery weapons.

Ukraine's use of precision arty & missiles from the west have brought success...with the exception of striking troop targets. 13/

So, as you see I have some bias against (and some for) the decision to provide UAF with our cluster munitions...but like all other contributions it's a tough call with a lot of factors for any western country, but especially the US. 14/14

That should be 6-10%