Jake Sullivan announced on Friday that the US would be providing assistance to Ukraine in the form of Dual Purpose, Improved Conventional Weapons (also known as Cluster Munitions) for 155mm and 105mm artillery. Fighters are going to their corners.
What Does DPICM (Digital Picture Information Control Method) Mean?
Improved conventional munitions (ICMs) were developed in the late 1950s to increase the effectiveness of conventional ammunition.
It was a good idea to use ICMs that could be fired up-gunned to target the Soviet and Warsaw Pact armor that was flooding through the Fulda and Hof Gaps and the North German Plain. It is easy to see why these rounds became the most common artillery rounds.
What’s the Controversy?
It is important to understand that the Soviets used the “dud rate” to try to eliminate DPICM.
The US Defense Department removed DPICM from its stock as George Bush prepares to leave office.
According to The Washington Post, Biden administration officials believe that this can be waived if they cite vital national security concerns. The Washington Post reports that Biden administration officials think this standard can be waived by citing vital national security concerns.
Human Rights Waclaimingming says the dud rates for the rounds scheduled to be sent out to Ukraine are less than 2.5%. However, the United States and Russia are not signatories to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Russians use cluster bombs every day.
Glenn Greenwald is a good example. You could ask him why he never expressed any concern about Russia’s use of cluster munitions. He is wearing brown pants because he has been so stressed out by his complaints that DPICMs were used against Russians.
Cluster bombs are banned by a convention signed by more than 100 countries, including many NATO allies. Because of their huge civilian toll, their use has long been seen as a war crime (including by the US when used by Bad Countries™),
Biden is now sending them to Ukraine 🇺🇦. https://t.co/qhWQ66T4bl
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 7, 2023
For the people recently concerned about Ukraine using cluster munitions inside their own country, I got some bad news for you.
Russia fired 10,000,000+ artillery, rockets, cluster munitions, & more inside Ukraine over the past 500 days.
You don’t want to know the dud rate. pic.twitter.com/G4aD03m3Eo
— CJ (@CasualArtyFan) July 7, 2023
This pile of debris is composed of Russian cluster munition bombs, which have been used as artillery shells, rockets, and bombs.
They’re still efficient even if they have a 20% failure ratio. And, they are cheap.
Why Now?
DPICM ammunition can be used to save money on defense as it does not need to be broken down and stored in ammunition depots. Instead, it is simply thrown at the Russians.
It makes me sad to see comments on social media from men I know. I’m certain they know better. They say we’ve exhausted our ammunition. This isn’t true, and I’m sure they know it, which makes more sense.
What Will Be the Effect on the War?
Make no mistake about it; DPICM allows one artillery round to take out multiple vehicles and lots of troops. Both sides are already using scatterable mines to seal off attacks. DPICM will prevent Russian reinforcements from massing. It will not be a war-winner, but I believe DPICM will change how the Ukrainian offensive plays out.
