Cluster Munitions Use screen criteria

How to read this definition

Inclusion criteria describe evidence that can establish this activity. Exclusion criteria identify circumstances that do not establish it on that basis alone. The evaluation remains connected to its taxonomy version and supporting evidence.

Can establish this activity

Included when supported

Evidence may support involvement when it matches one or more of these inclusion criteria.

7 criteria

01Criterion
Direct Operational Use of Cluster Munitions
Defined as: Entities, including state armed forces, government units, private military contractors, or other non-investable entities, with entity-specific evidence that they fired, dropped, launched, projected, dispersed, released, delivered, directed, or authorized live cluster munitions for detonation.
02Criterion
Contracted Forces With Verified Cluster-Munition Use
Defined as: Private military companies, contractors, or other forces that directly operated or authorized a weapons system in a verified cluster-munition attack. General combat support or weapons-system maintenance is insufficient.
03Criterion
Operators With Verified Firing or Launch Responsibility
Defined as: Entities that operated the aircraft, artillery, rocket, missile, mortar, or other system and had verified responsibility for firing, launching, dropping, releasing, or otherwise delivering the cluster munition.
04Criterion
Corroborated Cluster Munition Use Evidence
Defined as: Entities for which the UN, a government investigation, treaty monitor, sanctions or enforcement record, or another authoritative source provides an exact entity, weapon, operational-use event, and time attribution, corroborated by a primary source or another independent authoritative source. List membership or a country-level allegation alone is insufficient.
05Criterion
Live Operational Testing or Training Use
Defined as: Entities that fire, launch, drop, disperse, release, or otherwise deliver live cluster munitions for detonation during an operational test or training event. Permitted-purpose treatment is a client policy overlay and does not erase the factual use event.
06Criterion
Launch Crews or Field Units With Confirmed Use Responsibility
Defined as: Entities or units with verified responsibility for preparing, authorizing, firing, launching, or releasing cluster munitions in a specific operational event.
07Criterion
State Armed Forces or Government Units With Verified Operational Use
Defined as: State armed forces, government units, or other non-investable entities for which entity-specific evidence establishes firing, dropping, launching, projecting, dispersing, releasing, directing, authorizing, or otherwise delivering live cluster munitions for detonation. Entity type and investability are recorded separately from the factual activity.

Does not establish this activity on its own

Excluded on this basis alone

These circumstances do not establish this activity unless separate evidence also meets an inclusion criterion.

5 criteria

01Criterion
Manufacturers Only (No Deployment Role)
Defined as: Companies that produce or supply cluster munitions but are not involved in their use or field deployment.
02Criterion
Transporters or Storage Providers
Defined as: Entities responsible solely for moving or warehousing cluster munitions without deploying or authorizing their use.
03Criterion
Simulated Use or Non-Lethal Training
Defined as: Training environments using inert rounds, simulations, or non-operational models with no live munitions.
04Criterion
Historical-Only Cluster Munition Use
Defined as: Entities with verified past operational use of cluster munitions, where reliable evidence establishes that the qualifying activity has fully ceased, been divested, transferred, dismantled, terminated, or otherwise ended and no current qualifying involvement remains. Historical-only activity does not qualify as current involvement. Preserve the historical record separately with the activity period, effective cessation or transfer date, relevant entity, product, programme, facility, or contract, and supporting evidence. Absence of recent evidence alone is not sufficient to establish cessation.
05Criterion
Investigative Media or Documentation Bodies
Defined as: Organizations reporting on or monitoring use, but not engaging in deployment or combat operations.