{"id":2091,"date":"2026-02-18T17:31:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T21:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/?p=2091"},"modified":"2026-02-18T17:31:35","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T21:31:35","slug":"36-organizations-urge-us-to-stop-purchase-of-cluster-munitions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/?p=2091","title":{"rendered":"36 Organizations Urge US to Stop Purchase of Cluster Munitions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We write in opposition to the United States\u2019 reported<\/a> $210 million purchase of cluster munitions from Tomer, a company owned by the Israeli government. When used in populated areas, cluster munitions violate international humanitarian law because they cannot distinguish between civilians and combatants. This acquisition runs counter to the international norm established in the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which recognizes the unacceptable risk cluster munitions pose to civilians and imposes a categorical ban on their sale, use, transfer, and stockpiling. More than 100 states have ratified the treaty. The United States should join them, but instead, its decision to expand its cluster munitions arsenal puts it dramatically out of step with civilian protection practices and the international consensus against these weapons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cluster munitions inherently present severe, foreseeable dangers<\/a> to civilians, and are accordingly among the most harmful weapons types for civilians. Civilians accounted<\/a> for 93% of casualties from cluster munitions in 2023, where the status was recorded. Cluster munitions disperse submunitions across broad areas, making it exceedingly difficult to confine their impact to lawful military targets. Cluster munitions used in areas populated by civilians typically violate international humanitarian law due to their indiscriminate, wide-area scope.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many submunitions also fail to detonate<\/a> on impact, leaving behind unstable, unexploded ordnance that can contaminate communities and disproportionately harm civilians\u2014especially children\u2014long after hostilities cease. In 2022, 71% of recorded casualties<\/a> from cluster munition remnants were children.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cluster munitions that the US military has purchased contain<\/a> nine submunitions each, which in turn have approximately 1,200 tungsten fragments. While it is unknown if this exact model has been used in Gaza, similar models have resulted in grievous civilian harm, with children disproportionately<\/a> losing their lives or limbs as a result. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This newly reported purchase raises serious concern that the US intends to renew its transfers or use of cluster munitions, continuing backsliding that began with US transfers to Ukraine in 2023 after Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion. The United States has not used<\/a> cluster munitions in its own military operations since 2009, and a longstanding US law prohibits<\/a> US transfers of cluster munitions abroad. With growing recognition of cluster munitions\u2019 catastrophic consequences for civilians, no US company has produced<\/a> these weapons in a decade. Cluster munitions are recognized<\/a> as a relic of the Cold War particularly given the availability of more reliable, precise weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognizing the harms of cluster munitions to civilians, 111 states<\/a>\u2014including most NATO members\u2014have prohibited cluster munitions pursuant to the Convention on Cluster Munitions<\/a>.  We urge the United States to align itself with international consensus and refrain from the sale, use, transfer, and stockpiling of these weapons. Doing so would also be consistent with the United States\u2019 endorsement<\/a> of the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas<\/a> (EWIPA).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We urge members of Congress to take immediate action to oppose this purchase and prevent the transfer of cluster munitions, which pose well-documented and lasting risks to civilian populations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signed: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

American Friends Service Committee<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amnesty International USA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arms Control Association<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Campaign Against Arms Trade<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Center for International Policy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cluster Munition Coalition<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conflict and Environment Observatory<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DAWN<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demand Progress<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friends Committee on National Legislation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heidi Kuhn Global Peace Foundation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human Rights Watch<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humanity & Inclusion<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IMEU Policy Project<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just Foreign Policy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legacies of War<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MADRE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mennonite Central Committee U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MPower Change Action Fund<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonviolent Peaceforce<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pax Christi USA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peace Action<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peace Direct<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physicians for Social Responsibility<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presbyterian Church (USA), Office of Public Witness<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RootsAction<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saferworld USA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society<\/p>\n\n\n\n

United Church of Christ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

West Virginia Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Bombs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Win Without War<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We write in opposition to the United States\u2019 reported $210 million purchase of cluster munitions from Tomer, a company owned by the Israeli government. When used in populated areas, cluster munitions violate international humanitarian law because they cannot distinguish between civilians and combatants. This acquisition runs counter to the international norm established in the Convention on Cluster […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-announcements"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2091"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2092,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2091\/revisions\/2092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}