International Law and

Depleted Uranium
Weapons:
A Precautionary Approach

International Law and Depleted

Uranium Weapons: A
Precautionary Approach, edited by
Avril McDonald, Jann K. Kleffner
and Brigit Toebes (The Hague,
TMC Asser Press 2008)

1. The Lawfulness of DU
Weapons
The applicable legal framework:
Primary Rules
Arms control/disarmament law
The law of armed conflict/international
humanitarian law
Human rights law

Secondary Rules
The law of state responsibility
The law of personal/individual remedies
The applicability of the secondary rules depends
on a breach of the primary rules

Law of Arms Control

Addresses two groups of weapons:
Weapons of mass destruction
(chemical, biological and nuclear)
Conventional weapons (all other antimateriel and anti-personnel weapons)
Exists in treaty and customary
(unwritten) form
Few arms control treaties

No Discrete Ban on DU by Treaty

Depleted uranium is not the subject of a
specific treaty banning it or restricting
its use
Chemical and biological weapons are
both prohibited by treaty but DU does
not have the properties of such
weapons as described in those treaties

DU is Not a Biological or Toxin

Weapon
DU weapons do not fit the definition of
biological weapons as laid down in the
BWC, since this Convention is
concerned with microbial or other
biological agents or toxins

 Although the treaty does not define

agents, this term usually refers to
living organisms or infective material
(or their synthetic equivalent) obtained
from them, that multiply inside the
person, animal or plant attacked
Toxins not defined by the BWC but
covered by it when used for hostile
purposes whether of a microbial,
animal or vegetable nature, including
their synthetically produced analogues,
are substances that act like chemical
agents but ordinarily are produced by
biological or microbial processes.

DU is Not a Chemical Weapon

DU is not a chemical weapon within the
meaning of the Chemical Weapons
Convention
DU weapons are not munitions or
devices specifically designed to cause
death or other harm through the toxic
properties of toxic chemicals and their
precursors, as required by the CWC

 As for the 1925 Gas Protocol, DU would

not be covered by its ban on
asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases,
and all analogous liquids, materials and
devices, as it is not a weapon that it
designed with the intention of poisoning
as a means of combat: its poisonous
effects are a side-effect of its military
application

DU is Not a Nuclear Weapon

Nuclear weapons are not addressed by
a treaty and in its Advisory Opinion on
the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons
the International Court of Justice could
not exclude cases where the use of
nuclear weapons might be lawful,
although their use would be subject to
the law of armed conflict (LOAC)

 Given that there is no prohibition of

nuclear weapons per se, it would be
particularly difficult to consider DU as a
nuclear weapon on account of its
radioactive properties
What is a Nuclear Weapon?
Protocol III to the Modified Brussels
Treaty of 1954 defines a nuclear
weapon as a weapon which, by
explosion or other uncontrolled nuclear
transformation of nuclear fuel or by
radioactivity of nuclear fuel or
radioactive isotopes, capable of mass
destruction, mass injury or mass
poisoning

 Art. I(c) of the Treaty on the Southeast

Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone defines
a nuclear weapon as any explosive
device capable of releasing nuclear
energy in an uncontrolled manner, not
including the means, transport or
delivery of such device if separable
from and not an indivisible part thereof

 DU weapons are not used with the

purpose of killing by radiation, and are
lower in the violence spectrum than a
nuclear weapon
They do not produce radiation as a
result of an explosion but as a result of
the DU-tipped sabot penetrating a hard
object

DU is a Conventional Weapon
But it is not addressed by any of the
existing treaties regulating particular
Conventional weapons
DU is not an Incendiary Weapon
DU cannot be described as an incendiary
weapon within the meaning of Protocol III
to the 1981 Certain Conventional
Weapons Convention

 Article 1(1)(b)(ii) of Protocol III states

that incendiary weapons do not include
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 combinedeffects
munitions
in
which
the
incendiary effect is not specifically
designed to cause burn injuries to
persons, but to be used against military
objectives, such as armoured vehicles,
aircraft and installations or facilities.

 International regulations concerning

the transfer of and trade in fissile
material, such as the International
Atomic Energy Agencys safeguards
system, apply to DU
Although the transfer of and trade in
DU weapons are not prohibited by
international law, they are subject to
export controls and licenses

 But these types of restrictions aim at

controlling the trade in and transfer of
DU for security reasons (nonproliferation), considering that it is a
dual-use material which could be
converted into a nuclear weapon, rather
than at restricting the use of the
weapon during a situation of armed
conflict

DU is not Addressed by Arms Control

Law
This means that there is no
international prohibition on its use per
se
However, when used during an armed
conflict, its use, like that of any
weapon, is subject to compliance with
the law of armed conflict

The Law of Armed Conflict

Relevant rules:
Military necessity
The prohibition on causing
superfluous and unnecessary
suffering to combatants
The principle of distinction
The principle of precaution
The prohibition on the use of poison
or poisoned weapons
The law protecting the natural
environment during armed conflict

Military necessity
User states claims that DU use is in
conformity with the law of armed
conflict and is justified legally on the
grounds of military necessity
Its superior penetrating capability (to
the alternatives, especially tungsten)
gives user states a military advantage
which they need

 Military necessity is not a fixed

quantity; it changes according to
circumstances
It only applies to measures that are
otherwise lawful according to the laws
of war
It cannot justify the use of weapons
that are prohibited by treaty
It should be applied in each
circumstance of a weapons use
It applies to measures helping friendly
forces as well as those directed against
the enemy

 The necessity for DUs use at the time it

was legally approved was the military
advantage it would give the USA
against Soviet tanks on the plains of
Europe
It was not envisioned that DU would be
used in large quantities in urban areas
such as downtown Baghdad, where
levels of radiation 1,400 times higher
than normal were detected in public
places

 While military necessity provides the

justification for DU use, it can equally
be seen exerting a possible restraining
effect
The military necessity of the use of DU
has in general changed since DU was
legally approved by the US Army and
Air Force
The alternative tungsten is now almost
as good
Much more is known about the harmful
effects of DU

 There is no military necessity for its use

against personnel where an alternative is
available, e.g., ground-launched rather
than aerial weapons fired against targets
of opportunity
The necessity of DUs use might be
different depending on the circumstances
of its use: it might be necessary to use it
to engage superior armour in an isolated
area; but the necessity of its use against a
soft target in a town centre is harder to
justify, except when striking targets of
opportunity
The advantage of using DU in the
particular circumstances must be direct,
concrete and real

Superfluous injury and

unnecessary suffering
Applies only vis--vis (enemy)
combatants (not friendly forces or
civilians)
Cannot impose a ban on all
circumstances of a weapons use except
in cases where the weapon has been
designed to cause superfluous injury or
unnecessary suffering

 The principle prohibits the use of

weapons of a nature to cause (that
have the effect of causing) superfluous
injury or unnecessary suffering to
enemy combatants (so it is not
applicable to troops injured through DU
exposure in friendly fire incidents)
It is codified in the St. Petersburg
Declaration, the Hague Regulations and
Additional Protocol I to the Geneva
Convention (Art. 35(2))

 What is considered as superfluous injury

and unnecessary suffering is both fixed
and relative
There is a minimum threshold of injury or
suffering that could potentially be
considered as superfluous and
unnecessary: it is force used that exceeds
the threshold of what is necessary to
disable the greatest number of men (and
materiel). For example, if a weapon
needlessly aggravates the suffering of
men who will anyway be killed or renders
their death inevitable where it is not
necessary to kill them, it would reach this
threshold

 And even then, whether this injury or

suffering is considered as superfluous
injury or unnecessary suffering will
depend on the military necessity of the
weapons use
If it provided a military advantage not
otherwise available the suffering and
injury would be justified because it
would be necessary and not superfluous

 It is debatable whether it applies

only to anti-personnel weapons or
also anti-materiel weapons
DU is mainly used as an antimateriel weapon
Arguably, it can be and is applied
to both types of weapons
Difficult to distinguish between the
anti-personnel and anti-materiel
effects of the use of an antimateriel weapon against materiel

 If the principle is applied to DU

weapons used against both
materiel and personnel, the
questions are:
Does the suffering and injury caused
to combatants mean the required
threshold?
In that case, is it necessary and not
superfluous?

 Does the suffering and injury reach the

necessary threshold? Arguably yes
If so, against personnel directly, DU use
is arguably not necessary because there
are viable alternatives
DU use against materiel could be
justified if there was no alternative
providing an equal or greater military
advantage in the circumstances of its
use

Prohibition on poison
No definition of poison in LOAC but some
argue that the ban covers only weapons
that are used with the intention of
poisoning -- ie., designed to kill by
poisoning (premediated approach)
The ICJ defined it as a weapon whose
prime or even exclusive effect is to poison
or asphyxiate (effects-based approach)
Even if an effects-based rather than a
premeditation approach is applied, it is
very difficult to consider DU as a poison
weapon

 Whichever approach is adopted, it does

not seem that the use of DU weapons
violates the prohibition on poison per se
They are not designed to cause death
or damage to combatants by means of
poisoning them
And current level of scientific knowledge
is such that it is not possible to show
that the toxic properties of DU residues
cause death or serious damage to
health in the ordinary course of events
-- a generally agreed requirement for
weapon to be considered as poisonous
(ICC Elements of crimes)

Distinction
As far as the principle of
distinction/prohibition against
indiscriminate attacks is concerned, DU
use could potentially violate only one
provision of Article 51 of Additional
Protocol I, namely, paragraph 4(c),
which prohibits using methods or
means of combat which cannot be
limited as required by the Protocol

 As for the other provisions, either

the use of DU weaponry does not
raise specific issues in relation to
them, or it could not be considered
to violate them

 DU weapons are not inherently

indiscriminate, and therefore whether
and to what extent the use of DU
ammunition violates the prohibition of
indiscriminate attacks under Article
51(4)(c) and the corresponding rule of
customary international humanitarian
law will have to be determined on a
case-by-case basis

 The fact that the effects of DU may be

removed in time and space from its
initial use may make it difficult to prove
that they were caused by it; however, if
such a link could be established, effects
which are remote in time and space are
not excluded by Article 51(4)(c)
Additional Protocol I

 The use of DU could also potentially

violate the principle of proportionality in
particular cases, where the incidental
loss of civilian life, injury to civilians or
damage to civilian property is excessive
in relation to the military advantage
anticipated from its use. This
assessment will have to be made on a
case-by-case basis
The use of DU in urban areas could
have more adverse effects than its use
in an isolated rural area

 DU use could only be considered to

violate the prohibition to render
useless objects indispensable to
the survival of the civilian
population if carried out with that
purpose

Precaution
During all military operations,
parties to armed conflicts are
required to ensure that
precautions are taken
In planning and conducting military
operations (Art. 57 Additional
Protocol I)
In the conduct of military operations
to protect civilians against the effects
of hostilities (Art. 58 Additional
Protocol I)

 Of particular relevance in the context of

DU is Article 57(2)(a)(ii)
It requires military commanders to take
all feasible precautions in the choice of
means and methods of attack with a view
to avoiding, and in any event minimizing,
incidental loss of civilian life, injury to
civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a
combination thereof which would be
excessive in relation to the concrete and
direct military advantage anticipated
Along with Article 51(4)(c), Additional
Protocol I, it could provide a legal basis
for restricting targeting using DU

 Art. 58 (c) Additional Protocol I enjoins

parties to an armed conflict, to the
extent feasible, to take the necessary
precautions to protect the civilian
population, individual civilians and
civilian objects under their control
against the dangers resulting from
military operations
It could provide a legal basis for
requiring states to take certain
measures aimed remediation in the
aftermath of the user of DU to reduce
the dangers to civilians

Protection of the environment

Damage to the natural environment
through the use of DU weaponry is
foreseeable to a certain extent
However, it is unlikely that such damage
will pass the high threshold
widespread, long-term and severe of
Articles 35(3) and 55 of Additional
Protocol I
It is unlikely that the use of depleted
uranium would violate the customary
prohibition to cause wanton or excessive
collateral damage to the environment

Conclusions on the law

DU use could potentially violate only
(1) the prohibition in Article 51(4)(c)
Additional Protocol I on using weapons
with effects which cannot be limited, and
which thus may in some cases of their use
potentially violate the prohibition against
indiscriminate attacks and
(2) and the prohibition of causing
superfluous injury and unnecessary
suffering to combatants
Vis--vis both rules, any potential
violation will be case specific

2. The Way Forward

Those responsible for applying the law of
armed conflict -- states, armed groups
and individuals -- need only take into
account the foreseeable effects of the
weapons they use
These effects do not need to be immediate
-- they can be temporally removed from
the conflict -- and arguably include both
secondary unintended as well as primary
intended effects
Arguably all effects should be considered
in applying the law where they can be
expected

 Parties to armed conflicts cannot

be expected to know the
unknowable, but they should
exercise good judgement in
ensuring that civilians are
protected from the worst effects of
the use of weapons, bearing in
mind that the right of parties to
choose their methods and means
of warfare is not unlimited

 There is cause for concern regarding

DUs potential to cause harm
However, the full picture about DUs
effects has yet to emerge
In the absence of a ban on DU being
adopted, what is needed is an approach
that will minimise foreseeable damage
and limit any possible ill effects which
are not yet foreseeable but possible

A Precautionary Approach
As applied to DU weapons, a
precautionary approach necessarily
implies precaution in their use during
the conduct of hostilities but it is much
broader and emphasises precaution,
and therefore risk minimisation, at
various stages in the life of the weapon,
as well as prescribing action for dealing
with the aftermath of their use and
reducing their proliferation

The precautionary approach has four facets:

1. Legal reviews of DU munitions by states
2. Precaution in targeting: restricting the
deployment of DU weapons in civilian areas
3. Precautions in the aftermath of DU use:
Remedial and risk reduction measures
Testing of exposed individuals and
populations and the conduct of further
medical and scientific research by
military and civilian bodies
4. The voluntary adherence by user
states to a moratorium on the use of DU
munitions until possible negative impacts
can be dispelled or proven

The legal basis of the

precautionary approach
Not the precautionary principle in
environmental law
Not, as a general legal basis for all
measures, the principle of precaution in
LOAC

 Different measures have different legal

bases -- some based in LOAC
(principles of distinction, precaution,
prohibition of causing superfluous injury
and unnecessary suffering military
necessity), some in human rights law
(right to health, right to information,
right to life, right to food, right to an
environment, etc.) -- and some are just
based on common sense in order to
minimise risk for both user states and
persons affected by the use of DU