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© EIRIS
EIRISControversial Weapons
WebinarDavid Cockburn, 26 January 2011
London
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Introduction
• Introduce EIRIS
• Introduce David Cockburn
• Conventions
• EIRIS approach to Controversial Weapons
• Key Issues
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EIRIS
• 27 years of not-for-profit research
• Many years extensive military research
• EIRIS Standard universe ~3000 companies – all research criteria
• Total 9000+ companies screened for controversial weapons (5 years +)
• Bespoke military research
• Also work in consultation with clients to create military policies matching their requirements
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David Cockburn
• Physicist, Systems Engineer, Social Scientist
• 20+ years in Defence Electronics
• Worked on MLRS update (early 1990s) to produce ‘smart’ submunitions
• EIRIS lead military researcher from 2001
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Conventional / non-Conventional Weapons
• Conventional : ‘A weapon which is neither nuclear, biological, nor chemical’. Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.
• Non-Conventional : nuclear, biological, chemical
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Controversial Weapons & Conventions Covered by EIRIS
• Nuclear – NPT; Geneva Conventions
• Biological - BTWC
• Chemical – CWC
• Anti-Personnel Landmines – Ottawa
• Cluster Munitions – CCM
• Incendiary – CCW – Protocol 3
• Blinding Lasers– CCW – Protocol 4
• Depleted Uranium
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Controversial Weapons – why? – effects on civilians
• Non-conventional weapons (NBC) have large effects (Weapons of Mass Destruction – WMDs), and do not discriminate between civilians and military personnel
• Controversial – generally weapons which have disproportionate effect on civilians – ‘explosive remnants of war’ – unexploded munitions (ordnance) endangering civilians.
• Controversial – unusual effects – laser blinding or incendiary or depleted uranium poisoning
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Conventions in Practice
• Convention agreed
• Applies to states which ratify – not otherwise
• Ratification process – into national laws – each law different
• Enter into effect – applies to signatories
• Many loop holes in Conventions & National laws
• Often restrict usage but not always production or possession
• Rarely tested by legal action
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Controversial Weapons & Conventions Covered by EIRIS
• Nuclear – NPT; Geneva Conventions
• Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty
• Nuclear explosions – mushroom clouds
• Limits nuclear weapons to big 5
• Use may break Geneva Conventions –which limit damage to civilians
• Prohibits proliferation (exports to particular countries)
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Controversial Weapons & Conventions Covered by EIRIS
• Biological - BTWC
• Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention
• Prohibits production and development
• No overt BW programs – probably none
• Some research programmes to develop antidotes - permitted
• ‘weaponisation’ is difficult
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Controversial Weapons & Conventions Covered by EIRIS
• Chemical – CWC
• Prohibits production and development
• No overt CW programs – probably none
• Some research programmes to develop antidotes - permitted
• ‘weaponisation’ is difficult
• Dual Use items
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Controversial Weapons & Conventions Covered by EIRIS
• Anti-Personnel Landmines – Ottawa
• Applies to production and use
• Very effective
• US not party, but has not produced traditional APMs since mid 1990s
• Often produced in batches, over years – need to assess capability and intent, not just production
• US developing alternatives – not necessarily compliant
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Controversial Weapons & Conventions Covered by EIRIS
• Incendiary – CCW – Protocol 3
• Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons
• Good for WW2 type weapons
• Flares, smokes etc not covered, and can be used to cause same effects – Fallujah, Gaza
• Very weak effects
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Controversial Weapons & Conventions Covered by EIRIS
• Cluster Munitions – CCM
• Very prescriptive – good wording
• Varied interpretation for ratification
• Bans development, production, use, assistance with…
• Probably doesn’t ban delivery systems
• Some countries ban investment in Cos that produce
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Controversial Weapons & Conventions Covered by EIRIS
• Blinding Lasers– CCW – Protocol 4
• Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons
• Dazzling Lasers allowed
• Damage effects are power dependent –many lasers exceed this
• Primary purpose
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Controversial Weapons & Conventions Covered by EIRIS
• Depleted Uranium
• Not covered by Convention
• Low level radiation effects in body
• Damage disputed
• Few manufacturers
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EIRIS Approach - Systems
• A warhead is no danger to civilians unless it can be delivered to target area – needs targeting and delivery systems.
• Governments buy Weapons Systems to meet a particular requirement rather than just warheads or missiles; spares and servicing contracts
• All parts of system work together to produce an effect that parts alone cannot produce
• Familiar system – a car : Engine, body, wheels, heating, glass, etc. spare parts, servicing –reliability, availability
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EIRIS Research Assessment
• Full weapons / key parts of, or services for
• Clear evidence / some evidence
• Information no longer relevant
• Distinguish what is and is not important to keep systems operational; spares, servicing, logistics
• Cannot usually assess legality – national laws are different, not definitive; Convention wordings imprecise.
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Convention Limitations
• Often apply to usage, not production
• Sometimes ignore key aspects – e.g. Incendiary Weapons
• Rarely apply to key parts or services –allows companies to continue producing & servicing Controversial Weapons systems
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Key Issues
• Systems are crucial
• Each system designed specifically for one or a few warhead types – still specific to that weapon system – HW/SW specific
• End use important – c.f. export licences
• Suppliers know what their products will be used for
• Suppliers supply for profit - responsibility
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Multiple Launch Rocket System M270 MLRS
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Multiple Launch Rocket System M270 MLRS
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Multiple Launch Rocket System M270 MLRS
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High Mobility Army Rocket System –HIMARS (can fire all MLRS warheads)
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High Mobility Army Rocket System –HIMARS (can fire all MLRS warheads)
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Contact details
David Cockburn
Senior Research Analyst, Military & Nuclear Power
+44 (0) 20 7840 5751 (direct)
EIRIS, 80 - 84 Bondway, London, SW8 1SF
www.eiris.org
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Incendiary Weapons Protocol 3 of CCW
Incendiary weapon" means any weapon or munition which is primarily designed to set fire to objects or to cause burn injury to persons through the action of flame, heat, or combination thereof, produced by a chemical reaction of a substance delivered on the target. (a) Incendiary weapons can take the form of, for example, flame throwers, fougasses, shells, rockets, grenades, mines, bombs and other containers of incendiary substances. (b) Incendiary weapons do not include:(i) Munitions which may have incidental incendiary effects, such as illuminants, tracers, smoke or signalling systems;(ii) Munitions designed to combine penetration, blast or fragmentation effects with an additional incendiary effect, such as armour-piercing projectiles, fragmentation shells, explosive bombs and similar combined-effects munitions in which the incendiary effect is not specifically designed to cause burn injury to persons, but to be used against military objectives, such as armoured vehicles, aircraft and installations or facilities.
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Cluster Munitions
http://www.clusterconvention.org/
• What the Convention covers :• 1. Each State Party undertakes never under any circumstances to:• (a) Use cluster munitions;• (b) Develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile, retain or transfer to anyone, directly or
indirectly, cluster munitions;• (c) Assist, encourage or induce anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party
under this Convention.• 2. Paragraph 1 of this Article applies, mutatis mutandis, to explosive bomblets that are
specifically designed to be dispersed or released from dispensers affixed to aircraft.• 3. This Convention does not apply to mines.• “Cluster munition” means a conventional munition that is designed to disperse or release
explosive submunitions each weighing less than 20 kilograms, and includes those explosive submunitions.
• What the Convention exempts :• A munition that, in order to avoid indiscriminate area effects and the risks posed by
unexploded submunitions, has all of the following characteristics:• (i) Each munition contains fewer than ten explosive submunitions;• (ii) Each explosive submunition weighs more than four kilograms;• (iii) Each explosive submunition is designed to detect and engage a single target object;• (iv) Each explosive submunition is equipped with an electronic selfdestruction mechanism;• (v) Each explosive submunition is equipped with an electronic selfdeactivating feature;
