{"id":1968644,"date":"2023-07-10T14:29:03","date_gmt":"2023-07-10T18:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-tells-media-weve-run-out-of-ammunition-pundits-respond\/"},"modified":"2023-07-10T14:31:24","modified_gmt":"2023-07-10T18:31:24","slug":"biden-tells-media-weve-run-out-of-ammunition-pundits-respond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-tells-media-weve-run-out-of-ammunition-pundits-respond\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden admits media ammo depleted, pundits react."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-tells-media-weve-run-out-of-ammunition-pundits-respond%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1968644&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"post_content\">\n<h2>Concerns Raised as President Biden Admits Running Out of Ammunition<\/h2>\n<p>Conservative commentators have expressed concern after U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters asking about his administration\u2019s decision to give cluster bombs to Ukraine, \u201cWe\u2019ve run out of ammunition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Biden\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c-span.org\/video\/?529175-1\/president-biden-remarks-lowering-health-care-costs\">remarks<\/a> to the media were made in passing as he left a speaking event about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/health-care-premiums-for-families-increase-nearly-50-in-one-decade\/\" title=\"Health Care Premiums For Families Increase Nearly 50% In One Decade\">lowering health care costs<\/a> in the East Room of the White House on July 7.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.c-span.org\/video\/standalone\/?529175-1\/president-biden-remarks-lowering-health-care-costs\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In a more in-depth interview with CNN\u2019s Fareed Zakaria on July 7, Mr. Biden had said that after months of requests from Kyiv, his administration was making the \u201cvery difficult decision\u201d to send controversial cluster bombs to Ukraine despite his initial opposition to the request.<\/p>\n<p>The reason for the change, he said, was that \u201cthis is a war relating to munitions. And they\u2019re running out of that ammunition, and we\u2019re low on it,\u201d Mr. Biden said, referring to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-tells-media-weve-run-out-of-ammunition-pundits-respond\/\" title=\"Biden admits media ammo depleted, pundits react.\">medium-caliber 155 mm artillery ammunitions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The president said that the less-than-ideal cluster bombs were only a temporary solution, and that they\u2019re being sent to Ukraine during a \u201ctransition period\u201d until U.S. and other manufacturing is able to supply Ukraine with more 155 mm ammunition.<\/p>\n<p>The agreement is part of a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pentagon-announces-security-packages-to-aid-ukrainians\/\" title=\"Pentagon announces security packages to aid Ukrainians\">security assistance package<\/a> for Ukraine, which includes the provision of $800 million worth of arms and equipment from Department of Defense (DoD) stocks as recommended by the Pentagon, Secretary of State Antony Blinken <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/additional-u-s-security-assistance-for-ukraine-8\/\">said<\/a> on July 7.<\/p>\n<p>Reactions to the decision were varied, with some conservative pundits expressing concern and frustration over why the president was broadcasting to the world, including U.S. adversaries, that U.S. stocks of artillery were low.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJoe Biden broadcasting to the world that the US is low on 155mm shells,\u201d conservative communicator Steve Guest <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SteveGuest\/status\/1677652270660427779\">wrote on Twitter<\/a>. \u201cDoes Biden not care that\u00a0our adversaries in China\u00a0are listening?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHard to understand the benefit of sharing this info with the world,\u201d Republican pundit Matt Whitlock <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mattdizwhitlock\/status\/1678215906655191041?s=20\">said<\/a>\u00a0on the platform.<\/p>\n<p>Political commentator Ian Miles Cheong, who shared a clip of the comments on Twitter, wrote, \u201cJoe Biden wasn\u2019t supposed to say the quiet part out loud: \u2018We\u2019ve run out of ammunition.\u2019 But now that the cat\u2019s out of the bag, one must ask whether continued support of Ukraine\u2019s military is even feasible as the conflict rages on.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Joe Biden wasn\u2019t supposed to say the quiet part out loud: \u201cWe\u2019ve run out of ammunition\u201d. But now that the cat\u2019s out of the bag, one must ask whether continued support of Ukraine\u2019s military is even feasible as the conflict rages on. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jddIrHlSM8\">pic.twitter.com\/jddIrHlSM8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stillgray\/status\/1678012747513200640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 9, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In further comments, the White House detailed that the president\u2019s remarks were regarding munitions beyond the nation\u2019s own reserves that are required to be maintained in case of contingencies or military conflict.<\/p>\n<h2>Ukraine\u2019s Request<\/h2>\n<p>Kyiv increased its petitioning of Congress for the cluster bombs in February during the Munich Security Conference, telling the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee that it wanted to drop the anti-armor bomblets on Russian forces from drones to help halt the \u201chuman wave\u201d attacks that Russia had mounted in its months-long offensive to claim the eastern city of Bakhmut, committee members Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said back in March.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Biden at the time decided to withhold supply, citing the war crimes associated with the failure rate of the munitions.<\/p>\n<p>The bombs, which the State Department outlined as the Dual-Purpose Conventional Improved Munitions (DPICM), detonate to release lots of smaller bomblets that kill indiscriminately over a wide area. However, many bomblets fail to detonate, posing the danger of munitions exploding long after the conflict.<\/p>\n<p>The DPICM canisters are fitted into 155 mm Howitzer artillery shells that can be timed to explode at set elevations above or on a target of an artillery strike.<\/p>\n<p>Production, stockpiling, use, and transfer of such cluster bombs are banned by 123 countries who signed the 2008 international treaty \u201cConvention on Cluster Munitions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While China, Russia, Ukraine, and the United States are not signatories, a 2009 U.S. law prohibits the United States from transferring DPICMs if bomblet failure, or \u201cdud\u201d rates, go over 1 percent. However, the president has the right to override the rule, as has Biden.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"morearticles\"><strong>Read More<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"post_list\">\n<div class=\"article\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/cluster-bombs-headed-for-ukraine-pack-a-punch-but-leave-lethal-duds-in-wake_5381794.html\">\u2018Cluster Bombs\u2019 Headed for Ukraine Pack a Punch, but Leave Lethal \u2018Duds\u2019 in Wake<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Signatories Canada, Germany, Spain, New Zealand, and the UK have expressed opposition to Mr. Biden\u2019s decision to grant the cluster munitions.<\/p>\n<p>The aging U.S. stockpile to be sent to Ukraine is reported to have a \u201cdud\u201d rate of up to 2.35 percent.<\/p>\n<p>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy <a href=\"https:\/\/president.gov.ua\/en\/news\/ukrayini-dlya-uspishnogo-kontrnastupu-vazhlivo-vchasno-otrim-84121\">said<\/a> in comments to the media on July 6 that it is important for Ukraine to receive the necessary weapons and ammunition in time for a successful counteroffensive and further de-occupation of its territories.<\/p>\n<p>He added that he believes the weapons delivery was in the interests of other states to help the Ukrainian army stop Russian aggression before it moves further into Europe.<\/p>\n<h2>Kyiv Promises Not to Use Cluster Bombs in Russia<\/h2>\n<p>The Biden administration\u2019s provision is not without conditions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was not an easy decision,\u201d Mr. Biden said on Friday. \u201cBut it took me a while to be convinced to do it. The main thing is, they either have the weapons to stop the Russians now, keep them from stopping the Ukrainian offensive through these areas, or they don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>White House national security adviser\u00a0Jake Sullivan told reporters on July 9 that Ukraine in its written assurances said it would not use cluster bombs in Russia or in populated areas to limit civilian casualties from unexploded ordinance.<\/p>\n<p>Ukraine is already facing a massive unexploded ordinance problem from past wars. According to the State Department, nearly one-third of Ukraine\u2014or around 65,000 square miles\u2014is littered with unexploded landmines or other \u201cexplosive remnants of war.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition, Russian forces have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hi-us.org\/en\/zelensky-visit-to-u-s----cluster-munitions-have-no-place-in-war\">relying heavily<\/a> on cluster munitions in Ukraine since February 2022. However, their cluster bombs also have a significantly higher dud rate, which Mr. Sullivan said was as high as 30 to 40 percent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn this environment, Ukraine has been requesting cluster munitions in order to defend its own sovereign territory,\u201d Mr. Sullivan said in earlier comments on July 7. \u201cWe will not leave Ukraine defenseless at any point in this conflict, period.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are closely coordinating with Ukraine, as it has requested these munitions,\u201d he added. \u201cUkraine is committed to post-conflict <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-live-white-house-holds-press-briefing-with-national-security-adviser-jake-sullivan\/\" title=\"LIVE: White House press briefing featuring national security adviser Jake Sullivan.\">de-mining efforts<\/a> to mitigate any potential harm to civilians. And this will be necessary regardless of whether the United States provides these munitions or not because of Russia\u2019s widespread use of cluster munitions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will have to continue to assist Ukraine with de-mining efforts no matter what, given the significant use of cluster munitions already perpetrated by Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some Republicans in Congress expressed frustration that the Biden administration did not approve Kyiv\u2019s requests for the bombs earlier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe recognize that cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordnance,\u201d Mr. Sullivan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/press-briefings\/2023\/07\/07\/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-and-national-security-advisor-jake-sullivan-5\/\">said<\/a>. \u201cThis is why we\u2019ve deferred the decision for as long as we could.\u00a0But there is also a massive risk of civilian harm if Russian troops and tanks roll over Ukrainian positions and take more Ukrainian territory and subjugate more Uk<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Conservative commentators worry as President Biden casually mentioned running out of ammunition when questioned about providing cluster bombs to Ukraine. His remarks were made while leaving an event on reducing healthcare costs in the East Room, raising concerns about the administration&#8217;s decision.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":151,"featured_media":1968645,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1968644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1968644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/151"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1968644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1968644\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1968645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1968644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1968644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1968644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}