Retired four-star Army general: Biden ‘entirely correct’ to send cluster munitions to Ukraine

A retired four-star Army general had high praise for President Biden’s decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine last week.

“I think President Biden, Lloyd Austin, and Blinken were entirely correct to send them these munitions — not just as a stopgap for unitary warheads, but because they are a very effective tool, and Ukraine is fighting for its survival,” Gen. Barry McCaffrey said in an MSNBC interview on Friday.

Biden’s decision has received mixed reactions from both sides of the aisle as some Republicans have praised the additional military support for Ukraine, while some Democrats criticized the munitions’ history of causing civilian casualties.

On Tuesday, former President Trump said that Biden’s decision could be “dragging” the U.S. “into World War III.”

Cluster munitions are artillery shells wthat shatter into dozens of small bomblets on the ground. Some of these bomblets do not explode, up to 40 percent in older munitions, leaving minefield-like debris behind. Pentagon officials pledged to only send Ukraine cluster munitions with an unexploded ordinance rate of less than 3 percent in an effort to minimize civilian impact.

Due to civilian casualty concerns, more than 120 countries have banned the use of cluster munitions. The U.S., Ukraine and Russia have not signed that international agreement. 

The munitions are being sent to Ukraine as part of a new $800 million military aid package announced last week. The shells first arrived in Ukraine on Thursday.