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U.S. Secretly Shipped New Long-Range Missiles to Ukraine (www.nytimes.com)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The United States last week secretly shipped a new long-range missile system to Ukraine, and Ukrainian forces immediately used the weapons to attack a Russian military airfield in Crimea last Wednesday and Russian troops in the country’s southeast overnight on Tuesday, according to a senior U.S. official.

The United States previously supplied Ukraine with a version of the Army Tactical Missile Systems — known as ATACMS — armed with wide-spreading cluster munitions that can travel 100 miles.

But Ukraine has long coveted the system’s longer-range version, with a range of about 190 miles. That can reach deeper into occupied Ukraine, including Crimea, a hub of Russian air and ground forces, and supply nodes for Moscow’s forces in the country’s southeast.

Overnight Tuesday, Ukraine used the longer-range missiles to strike Russian troops in the port city of Berdiansk on the Sea of Azov, the senior U.S. official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters.

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[–] [email protected] 66 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (23 children)

In a major policy shift, President Biden secretly approved the decision to send more than 100 of the longer-range missiles in mid-February

That is a big deal! I believe they were given 20 or so last year, and they were able to wreck a dozen of Russia's best attack helicopters with them, as well as several other, less flashy, targets. And that was with the shorter range variant, the article is saying they received the longer range variant this time!

Additional longer-range missiles were also included in the $60.8 billion of aid for Ukraine

More to come!

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[–] [email protected] 46 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Haha military industrial complex go brrrr

^(This is meant as a tongue-in-cheek appreciation of the USA actually doing some good with said military industrial complex, please don't get mad)

[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 months ago (1 children)

If anything, Russia's embarrassingly bad military supply chain being exposed in this war reinforces the long held US policy to find every excuse to spend on continued military production.

Our manufacturers have stayed active as a result of the ongoing military industrial complex. Our ever rotating stockpile of military goods have kept our equipment modern and in good position, and our manufacturers ready to mass produce if we find ourselves in need.

I have been highly critical of wasteful military spending. But I have to admit that recent events have highlighted the value in our approach. It's still extremely wasteful, and our old military supply that gets phased out and sold off / gifted to police and foreign vassels do a world of damage. But if your goal is to be as ready for war as possible, it makes a lot of sense.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I have been highly critical of wasteful military spending.

Oh boy, Until Russia attacked Ukraine, I thought we were past the times where it was necessary too. Unfortunately I was wrong, but what's worse, is that when looking back, it's actually pretty clear that Putin was like this, with Crimea and other situations that easily added up to Putin being a war monger.

But what's even worse than this is that I see some similar tendencies from China. NATO really needs to stick together now, and Europe is beginning to step up to our responsibilities more now.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It's Lemmy, someone's always mad. Don't worry, they're not your crowd.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

What makes me really mad is this new drug called ecstasy, it makes me mad!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Studio audience: How mad does it make ya?

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 months ago (1 children)

This implies one of two things. Either these were sitting across the boarder, waiting for approval, or they were already there in a warehouse labeled “inexpensive potatoes” waiting for approval. It must have been so hard to wait if they were already in-country, but congress had to get off its collective elephant ass to approve the money for them.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 months ago

Yet more evidence we could have done FDR's move. Leave them next to the border and forget about them. When Ukraine shows up with them you just shrug and go, "ah that's where those ended up!"

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Clearly not so secretly...

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 months ago (1 children)

"secretly shipped" They got there and they got used. And we now read about it. Sounds like it worked?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

Yeah, pretty sure Russia knows all about it now that they've been hit 200km behind the front line.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago

'Do that', Marje? I'm not a comic book president. Do you seriously think I would explain my master stroke to you if there were even the slightest possibility you could affect the outcome? I shipped it 35 days ago.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

I read on Lemmy that is was a "secret". Promise not to tell anyone or this won't be a secret anymore.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

I didn't see nothing.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

We are reading this news right now so it is not secret anymore I guess...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

The United States previously supplied Ukraine with a version of the Army Tactical Missile Systems — known as ATACMS — armed with wide-spreading cluster munitions that can travel 100 miles.

Last Wednesday, social media accounts in Ukraine reported large fires and explosions at a military airfield in Dzhankoi, Crimea, which the senior administration official said was also a long-range ATACMS target.

In a major policy shift, President Biden secretly approved the decision to send more than 100 of the longer-range missiles in mid-February, the senior U.S. official said, as well as more of the cluster munition variant.

In praising the infusion of military assistance, including the new missiles, lawmakers and Mr. Zelensky have made no mention of the fact that Ukraine already received and employed a small number of the weapons, presumably to keep their use secret from Russia.

Still, many advocates of arming Ukraine have dismissed the Biden administration’s fear of escalating the conflict with Russia and have urged the White House to give Kyiv the weapons Ukrainian officials say they need to win.

The original article contains 972 words, the summary contains 212 words. Saved 78%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] [email protected] -1 points 3 months ago (6 children)

Isn‘t cluster munition considered illegal/ a war crime?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Others already answered properly on the legality.

The US cluster munitions (dpicm) have a dud/failure rate of around 5%. The Russian cluster munitions a dud/failure rate of around 30-40%.

The main reason for not using cluster munitions is with a high dud rate it covers the land in unexploded ordenance. And in the past limited conflicts this was a real issue.. low intensity fights in areas with a lot of civilians. The chance of some kid playing and finding some UXO is horrible. But Ukraine is positional warfare, trenches, and more UXO around the battlefields that anyone can imagine. A few more won't matter on that balance.. but the DPICM are very valuable to the Ukranians to fend off Russians.

The US has said in their doctrine that precision from artillery is preferred above blanket firepower, but there is a current request from the arms industry to provide a round with a 1% dud rate. As the cluster munitions serve a purpose.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It helps that when one uses them on their own land, they are more likely to carefully track where they were used and can conduct cleanup operations when feasible.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

Maybe, but tracking is probably not enough. Future generations of Ukranian kids will be taught in school what UXO looks like and to steer clear and warn an adult.

The cleanup operation will be massive... Here I hope that drones and machine learning can help spot the ordenance at scale.. but the clean up of this war will last longer than the war itself.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 months ago

There is a Convention on Cluster Munitions but many of the world's largest military powers are not signatories to it, including all of the top five by expenditure in America, China, Russia, India, and Saudi Arabia. Ukraine is also not a signatory.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Kinda. Importantly, the Convention on Cluster Munitions was not ratified by the US, Ukraine, or Russia. There isn't any legal issue there.

Ukraine and Russia have both been using cluster munitions and the US has previously provided cluster munitions to Ukraine. They work well, they are getting used.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

No. The US, Ukraine, and Russia aren't signatories to the convention on cluster munitions.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Only in countries that signed the treaty.

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