Pentagon Refuses to Publish Docs on Cluster Munition Dud Rate

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Department of Defense is not going to publish any documents related to studies on the dud rates in US-made cluster munitions, as they are classified, spokesperson Maj. Charlie Dietz said on Wednesday.

In July, the Biden administration sent its first military assistance package for Ukraine that included cluster munitions in a move widely criticized by human rights activists, and opposed by some US lawmakers.

"These documents are classified, so are not publicly releasable at this time. While we appreciate external expertise, I can assure you that the Department of Defense is committed to ensuring its actions and decisions are based on the best available data and analysis," Dietz stated.

The Biden administration justified its decision to send banned bombs on the fact that US-made munitions allegedly have a very low failure rate and thus do not cause as much harm as cluster bombs from other countries.

On top of that, both the US Department of Defense and the State Department refuse to confirm whether Ukraine has been using its own cluster munitions since the beginning of the conflict with Russia in February 2022.