[Peace] Foreign Policy: Last Remaining U.S. Maker of Cluster Bombs Stops Production

[Robert Naiman]

http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/08/31/last-remaining-u-s-maker
-of-cluster-bombs-stops-production/

Last Remaining U.S. Maker of Cluster Bombs Stops Production
BY JOHN HUDSON
AUGUST 31, 2016 - 4:40 PM

The last remaining United States manufacturer of cluster bombs is ending
production of the controversial weapon, citing regulatory scrutiny and
reduced orders for the internationally banned munition.

The decision by Rhode Island-based Textron Systems follows a White House
order last May to block the transfer of a Textron shipment of CBU-105
cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia, a move first reported by Foreign Policy
<http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/05/27/exclusive-white-house-blocks-transfer-of-cluster-bombs-to-saudi-arabia/>
.

The White House had come under intense pressure by Human Rights Watch and
Amnesty International after those groups documented instances in which
Saudi-led forces used CBU-105 munitions in multiple locations around Yemen,
including Al-Amar, Sanhan, Amran and the Al-Hayma port.

The blocked transfer was the first concrete step the United States took to
demonstrate its unease with the Saudi bombing campaign, one that human
rights activists say has killed and maimed hundreds of Yemeni civilians,
including children. Cluster bombs, like the CBU-105, contain bomblets that
can scatter widely and kill or injure indiscriminately. Sometimes bomblets
fail to detonate immediately and can kill civilians months or even years
later. The weapons were banned in a 2008 international treaty that
arms-sales giants, including the United States and Russia, refused to sign.

Textron spokesman Matthew Colpitts told FP on Wednesday that the decision
to end production of the munitions was “due to the current regulatory
challenges and in light of reduced product orders.”

He defended CBU-105 as a “smart, reliable air-to-ground weapon that is in
full compliance with the U.S. Defense Department policy and current law.”

In a filing to regulators on Tuesday, Textron noted that the sale of of its
“sensor-fuzed weapon” requires executive branch and congressional approval.
“The current political environment has made it difficult to obtain these
approvals,” said the company.

As a result of the decision to end production, there will be “headcount
reductions [and] facility consolidations” said the company.

When asked about the hold on cluster bomb shipments in May, a U.S. official
cited reports that the Saudi-led coalition used cluster bombs “in areas in
which civilians are alleged to have been present or in the vicinity.”

“We take such concerns seriously and are seeking additional information,”
said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Following media coverage of the White House’s block, peace activists
picketed
<http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_30098918/protesters-picket-textron-wilmington-over-cluster-bomb-production>
outside
Textron’s offices in Wilmington calling for an end of the production of
cluster bombs.

Since March 2015, when Saudi Arabia launched its military campaign against
the Houthi rebellion in Yemen, at least 6,200 people have died and nearly 3
million have been displaced from their homes. The conflict is often viewed
as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia, which backs the Yemeni government
in exile, and Iran, which has provided some support to Houthi rebels, who
are part of a Shiite sect.

At the moment, political talks sponsored by the United Nations have
collapsed while the U.S. has called on all sides to stop fighting. Saudi
officials have said they cannot accept Houthi control of large swaths of
Yemen, and have noted that they have intercepted several missiles shot by
Houthi rebels.

In a statement to FP, Human Rights Watch spokeswoman Mary Wareham praised
the decision. “Textron was the last U.S. manufacturer of cluster munitions
so this decision now clears the path for the administration and Congress to
work together to permanently end U.S. production, transfer and use of
cluster munitions,” she said.

In an upbeat note
<http://blogs.barrons.com/stockstowatchtoday/2016/08/31/textron-finding-the-bright-side-in-discontinued-bombs-bomb/>
to
investors about the decision, Barclays analyst Carter Copeland said the
production of cluster bombs limited the “ownability” of Textron shares
among foreign investment funds “due largely to interpretations of where
[Textron] stood vis-a-vis international weapons treaties.” As a result, the
decision could expand Textron’s investor base in Europe, Copeland said.
===

Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
(202) 448-2898 x1
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