Cluster Munitions: Background and Issues for Congress

Abstract

Cluster munitions are air-dropped or ground-launched weapons that release a number of smaller submunitions intended to kill enemy personnel or destroy vehicles. Cluster munitions were developed in World War II and are part of many nations weapons stockpiles. Cluster munitions have been used frequently in combat, including the early phases of the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Cluster munitions have been criticized internationally for causing a significant number of civilian deaths, and efforts have been undertaken to ban and regulate their use. The Department of Defense (DOD) continues to view cluster munitions as a military necessity but in2008 instituted a policy to reduce the failure rate of cluster munitions (a major contributor to civilian casualties) to 1% or less after 2018.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 08, 2022
Accession Number
AD1163646

Entities

People

  • Andrew Feickert
  • Paul K. Kerr

Organizations

  • Congressional Research Service

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Bombs
  • Cluster Bombs
  • Cluster Munitions
  • Combat Operations
  • Combatant Commanders
  • Congress
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of State
  • Governments
  • Human Rights
  • Law
  • Military Operations
  • Munitions
  • Ordnance Laboratories
  • Unexploded Ammunition
  • United States
  • Warfare
  • Weapons Effects

Readers

  • Economics
  • Missile Defense Systems.
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security