There is a relatively small amount of lethality data for uranium penetrators, either the tank fired long version or the GAU-8 round fired from the A-10 close air suppport aircraft. The recent war has likely multiplied the number of dU rounds fired at targets by orders of magnitude. It is believed that dU penetrators were very effective against Iraqi armor; however, assessments of such will have to be made.
There has been and continues to be a concern regarding the impact of dU on the environment. Therefore, if no one makes a case for the effectiveness of dU on the battlefield, dU rounds may become politically unacceptable and thus, be deleted from the arsenal.
If dU penetrators proved their worth during our recent combat activities, then we should assure their future existence (until somethin gbetter is developed) through Service/DoD proponency. If proponency is not garnered, it is possible that we stand to lose a valuable combat capability.
I believe we should keep this sensitive issue at mind when after action reports are written.
Respectfully,
LtCol Z