Cluster munitions: everything for US defense industry

This past Friday, the White House announced U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions to be used against Russian troops.

This is a clear sign of Ukraine’s long-anticipated spring counteroffensive not going well at all. The tug-of-war on the far-stretching frontline has not delivered any coveted results since the start of the counteroffensive.

A desperate situation calls for desperate measures. Delivering cluster munitions to the battlefield in Ukraine is a demonstration of the U.S. Government straining every nerve to help its defense industries make more money.

A cluster bomb is a type of bomb that contains a large number of smaller bombs that spread out before they hit the ground and kill indiscriminately in a wide range. Some of the smaller munitions can fail to detonate, posing a long-term risk to civilians.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Friday that Berlin stands by a major treaty, openly opposing the U.S. decision to supply cluster munitions. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the U.K. “discourages” the use of cluster bombs after President Joe Biden’s decision. Even within the U.S. Government, there has been division about this decision.

The so far unsuccessful counteroffensive initiated by Ukraine is certainly a blow to belligerent NATO member countries. However, there is one obvious winner in this prolonged war disaster: the U.S. defense industry, which has benefited the most since the war in Ukraine started.

Aside from supplying Ukraine with weapons, equipment and air defense systems, U.S. defense companies have also delivered tons of more products to other NATO countries that have lowered their own inventories by providing Ukraine with weapons.

U.S. politicians, Republicans and Democrats alike, crave the political donations and votes from their defense industry. When in the White House, Donald Trump pushed very hard for other NATO countries, particularly Germany, to spend up to 2% of their GDPs on defense, as Trump was well aware that a huge chunk of those increased budgets would go to U.S. defense products, especially big-ticket helicopters, fighter jets and air defense systems.

Now more than 500 days into the war in Ukraine, most munitions sales have been going well and bringing back loads of money to U.S. defense companies. There is one inventory snag, though: Cluster bombs have been collecting dust in the warehouses.

U.S. cluster bombs were used extensively in the Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq. It is estimated that in the first three years of the Afghanistan war alone, the American-led coalition used 1,500 cluster bombs. Given the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in recent years, U.S. cluster munitions have gradually run out of buyers.

The U.S. has been sending 155-mm howitzer cannons and artillery rounds to Ukraine for more than a year. The cluster munitions that the U.S. will send to Ukraine are compatible with U.S.-provided howitzers. In this way, both aircrafts and American howitzers can launch cluster munitions.

Top U.S. defense contractors spend tens of millions in lobbying and political donations, getting rewarded by tens of billions in defense contracts. Aside from the colossal amounts of money, defense firms also want contracts that make the most business sense. Supplying cluster bombs also aids in balancing the ammunition inventory within the United States.

The provision of cluster munitions to Ukraine can be viewed as a strategic move by the U.S. defense industry to address inventory concerns. They do not care about casualties and sufferings of war, nor does the Biden Administration that does their bidding.

Despite widespread opposition, including concerns raised by allies, U.S. politicians seemingly adhere to Cutler Beckett’s statement from “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” — that it is simply good business.

(The author is an independent financial investor.)