Pentagon Defends Use of Depleted Uranium Ammunition

In anticipation of protests against the use of Depleted Uranium Ammunition in the new war against Iraq, U.S. military officials preemptively launched a counter-offensive against these objections. In a pre-war briefing session, the Pentagon on Friday defended the use of various types of depleted uranium munitions in American tanks and military aircraft by bringing in experts to explain and justify their use. These officials insist that there is no health risk to individuals from the use of this type of ammunition. One of them, Colonel James Naugthon, stated to reporters that protesters are asking us not to use this type of ammunition; particularly, the Iraqis insist that we do not use it because they are terrified of its effects. 'What is their insistence on not using this ammunition for? They want this because we have given them a hard lesson using this ammunition.' He added, 'Do you understand? There is no doubt that the use of this type of ammunition gave us a tremendous advantage against their tanks.' The Colonel noted that the Iraqis lost many of their tanks in the 1991 Gulf War due to the use of this ammunition by our forces. He further stated that today their soldiers cannot engage in battle with tanks that are very minimally upgraded. Depleted Uranium (DU) ammunition is a result of enriching natural uranium for use in nuclear reactors. These are heavy metal sheets that contain very low levels of radioactivity, but the Pentagon insists that they are not harmful to health. This type of ammunition is favored by many military commanders due to its penetrating power against armored vehicles, especially its ability to strike and create holes in tank walls.