Text fwd: DU in Afghanistan and Iraq

* Text Fwd from Makiko Sato (seamesky@sand.ocn.ne.jp) on Dec. 2, 2009

The document content at the bottome has been sent wide in Japan

by Mobuo Kasahi of No DU Hiroshima Project

which is committed to the issue of depleted uranium weapons.

The document ( letter?) was sent on May 19th, 2005 from an DoD officer

to his counterpart in the Military Traffice Management Command

regarding the transfer of "critical"weapons, meaning, depleted uranium weapons.

Somehow this document was leaked and he obtained the leaked info.

This photo of the original document should be here, but it seems unaccessible now though I've tried.

Kasashi is concerned about Obama's latest announcement of upcoming

US beef-up in Afghanistan, so he's just begun circulating this.

Kasashi wrote that, according to this info, US has been using DU weapons in Iraq and

Afghanistan, that the US officials recognize its danger, and that DU weapons have

become US' main weapons as it is repeatedly described as 'critical.' Makiko

______________________________________________________________________________________________

[original ]
Department of the Army
Headquarters, Military Traffic Management Command
200 Stovall Street Alexander, VA 22332-5000

May 19, 2005

Reply to Attention of
Office of the Deputy to the Commander

Dr. Robert A. McGuire
Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety
United States Department of Transportation
400 Seventh Street, SW. Washington, DC 20590

Dear. Dr. McGuire: As the representative for the Department of
Defense (DOD), the Military Surface Distribution and Deployment
Command (SDDC) would like to thank your office for its continued
support in providing DOD with its numerous transportation
exemptions and Competent Approval Authorities. These documents are
vital to the accomplishment of our mission and critical to the success of the
Global War on Terrorism.

The DOD’s record of safe transportation of depleted uranium (DU)
ammunition is flawless. There has never been a single safety
incident concerning DODO DU ammunition shipments. Despite that
fact, DOT-E 9649, (governing the shipment DU ammunition) is one of the few documents on which our two agencies have not been able to reach an agreement.

We believe that failure to renew the exemption may possibly
interrupt the movement of these critical munitions to our forces in
Afghanistan and Iraq. The cost of our compliance with the currently
exempted standards may reach as high as $50 million; and it may
cost prohibitive given our current fiscal restraints.

The DOD looks forward to working with DOT on this critical issue.
Please have your office contact Lieutenant Colonel Mark Wyrosdick
at (757) 878-7518 so our staffs can continue to work toward a
mutually beneficial resolutions. You[r] continued cooperation is
greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
　Patricia M. Young　　　
　Deputy to the Commander