Pentagon chief reveals he used cluster munitions in combat

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated Thursday in an interview with CNN that he used cluster munitions during his participation in combat and therefore knows how they work.

“I know how these munitions work, in fact, I used them in combat,” Austin said, responding to a question from a journalist who expressed concern that civilians and children could be killed or injured by unexploded bombs. The head of the Pentagon did not specify where he used this type of weapons, but he participated in US military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In addition, the secretary tried to explain US President Joe Biden’s decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine. «We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to be able to continue the fight. While those expansions occur, cluster munitions act as a sort of bridging capability. We want them to be able to continue to maintain pressure on the enemy and support their maneuver plans. That’s why the president made this deliberate decision,” Austin said.

This Thursday Douglas Sims, director of operations of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced that Washington has already supplied cluster munitions to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Cluster munitions, first used during World War II, can be used in rockets, bombs, missiles and artillery shells. Once launched, they open in mid-flight, scattering many mini-bombs over a wide area.
Critics argue that, when dispersed, these submunitions can maim and kill civilians, compounded by the risk associated with unexploded shells, which pose a danger for years.
Due to the lethal impact of these weapons on the civilian population, 123 countries adopted a convention in 2008 prohibiting the use of cluster bombs. Of those countries, 111 are part of the agreement and only 12 are signatories. With RT

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