Gaza, palestine

M107

Manufactured and facilitated by the United States, the M107 stands as a significant contributor to mass civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip.Through an analysis of its destructive capabilities, the role of the U.S. in its production and distribution, and its environmental impacts, we underscore the urgent need for international scrutiny, accountability, and policy reform to mitigate the devastating humanitarian consequences of weapon proliferation in conflict zones like Gaza.

• The M107 in Gaza

• What is it? Who makes it?
• Environmental Implications of Resources

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According to details from January 2024, the United States’ State Department sold $148 million worth of M107 missiles to Israel. Sourced from U.S. army stock, the estimated 7,000 rounds were sent under the Secretary of State’s claim that there is an “emergency to defend Israel,” hence bypassing Congress’ approval for the sale.

From September 2005 to May 2007, Israel launched more than 14,600 artillery shells (the primary ammo was M107) into the Gaza strip. This has killed 59 and injured 270–fatalities almost exclusively civilians.
The Israel Defence Forces’ (IDF) artillery fire in Beit Hanoun killed 23 and wounded 40+–all civilians–on November 8, 2006. This led to a temporary ban on artillery fire.As of December 2023, 57,000 155 mm shells have been sent to Israel; there have been over 9,000 casualties in the Gaza Strip since November 2023, over 40% of which are children. With 32,000 injuries, 25 ambulances destroyed, and 16 hospitals out of service, several Human Rights Watch investigations led to the conclusion that Israel’s use of the M107 may have violated international humanitarian law being that artillery shells used indiscriminately bombed both military and civilian targets.In January 2024, there were 255 explosive weapon usage instances in Gaza. 233 of the instances killed a total of 1,795 civilians and injured a total of 745 civilians (2540 casualties). In fact, civilians accounted for 97% of all casualties recorded in Gaza in January. 99.9% of casualties were from populated areas, and 14% of casualties were from air launched missiles. In December 2023, 278 explosive usage instances killed 3,237, injured 759 (3,996 casualties). In November 2023, it was 239 instances and 3,322 casualties.

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Development
The M107 was developed in the 1930s as an Americanized offshoot of a French shell. Since then, the M107 has been developed and designed to have several versions.How is it used?
The M107 is the most widely used training artillery shell in the world; the “NATO standard” shell. It's currently used in the US primarily for training, but recent escalations of the Palestinian genocide have led to its extensive use against civilians in the Gaza Strip. See The M107 in Gaza for more details.

Monetary Cost
Because it's easy to make a lot of, it maximizes the quantity of its creation and minimizes the cost of production. The US does not contract the whole shell from one company–rather, parts of the shell are contracted by several companies
As of 2001, the total cost per shell is around $200.63Chamberlain Manufacturing Corporation (formerly), General Dynamics (former Scranton Army Ammo Plant) provides metal bodies, which are $104.78 to produce.American Ordinance provides internals and assembly which costs $68.69.
Despite being produced by countries globally, the US is the main facilitator of it's shipping to Israel.

A 1 billion contract has companies General Dynamics Ordnance and American Ordnance competing to produce 155 mm artillery rounds. From this contract, they’re expected to procure 12,000-20,000 rounds in just a month. To put things into perspective, 1 round of an M107 has a kill radius of 50 m and a injury radius of 150 m, which is an average of over 100 Gazans harmed per round. This contract lasts until March 2028.

American Ordnance LLC, operator of the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, produces the projectile 155mm High Explosive ammunition for the U.S. Army, Marines and other State Department approved customers.American Ordinance provides internals and assembly for the M107.

Scranton Army Ammunition Plant (SCAAP)

📍Scranton, PA

The Scranton Army Ammunition Plant (SCAAP) is a United States Army Joint Munitions Command (JMC) facility that manufactures large-caliber metal projectiles and mortar projectiles for the Department of Defense. Some of the projectiles produced by SCAAP are 155mm and 105mm artillery projectiles, including the 155mm M795 and M107. For the M107 specifically, SCAAP provides forged steel metal bodies.

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General Dynamics

In 2006 facility operation was assumed by General Dynamics, Ordnance and Tactical Systems.

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What environmental resources are tied to this weapon?Materials used:
Forged Steel (hollow)
Explosive Fill: Comp B
Packaging: Wooden Pallet (8 projectiles)Made by Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, produced in the US and shipped to several countries now.

Environmental Implications of the Materials used

Forged Steel: Steel manufacture requires a lot of resource extraction, as well as energy consumption. In 2021 it produced about 30% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the United States in 2021(Kullman 2023).
Additionally, forging steel requires even more energy and releases carbon dioxide. On the positive end, forging steel does make it more durable increasing its life span, however, the benefits do not overweigh the negative implications.Comp B Explosive Fill: This is an explosive that is a mixture of RDX and TNT. Being chemically manufactured, these explosives are not environmentally friendly. Making them requires energy, nevertheless, most of its environmental impact happens once it’s activated.Wooden Pallet: Wood is less harmful to the environment in comparison to other materials. Although the extraction of wood (trees) harms the environment, its carbon-storing propertie give it an overall good life cycle.

Environmental Implications of M107 Use

Explosives are really damaging to the environment. The obvious reason is the release of toxins, the air pollution, and the fire/ resource depletion that they cause. However, that is not where the damage stops.
Explosives have a long lasting negative effect on soil and poisons bodies of water. In addition, the debris that results from the use of M107 also negatively impacts the environment.

Environmental Implications of Transporting the M107

The weapon is produced and manufactured in the US (where the company originated from). Nevertheless, this weapon is now shipped to several countries, including Israel. Weapon’s like this are shipped either by air lift or sea lift. Even if this is done in high quantities, transportation is a great contributor to carbon dioxide emissions in the status quo.

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Sources

1. GD-OTS. (n.d.). 155mm-M107-HEUS.pdf. https://www.gd-ots.com2. Defense Technical Information Center. (n.d.). ADA076358.pdf. https://www.dtic.mil3. Barrett Firearms. (n.d.). International Dealers. https://barrett.net/purchase/international-dealers/4. Arizona State University News. (n.d.). Curtailing unhealthy impacts of steel production. https://news.asu.edu/20231005-curtailing-unhealthy-impacts-steel-production#:_{:text=Making%20steel%20is%20among%20the,to%20the%20Environmental%20Protection%20Agency.}5. Ternium. (n.d.). Forging a Sustainable Future: Steel's Role in the Circular Economy. https://www.ternium.com6. U.S. Department of Energy. (n.d.). 1116147. https://www.osti.gov7. Southern Forest Products Association. (n.d.). Wood & The Environment. https://www.southernpine.com8. National Institutes of Health. (n.d.). Explosive detonation causes an increase in soil porosity leading to increased TNT transformation. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov9. ReliefWeb. (n.d.). The broken land: The environmental consequences of explosive weapon use - Syrian Arab Republic. https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/broken-land-environmental-consequences-explosive-weapon-use#::text=Explosive%20weapons%20can%20devastate%20a,disturb%20the%20harmony%20of%20nature.10. Janes Ammunition Handbook 2002-2003 https://archive.org/details/JanesAmmunition_Handbook/page/n495/mode/1up?q=m107
PEO Ammunition Portfolio11. GovCon Wire. (n.d.). State Department Clears $148M Sale of 155mm M107 Projectiles to Israel. https://www.govconwire.com/2024/01/state-department-clears-148m-sale-of-155mm-m107-projectiles-to-israel/12. Defense Daily. (n.d.). Army Taps GD OTS, American Ordnance For $993.8 Million Deal To Boost 155mm Ammo Production. https://www.defensedaily.com/army-taps-gd-ots-american-ordnance-for-993-8-million-deal-to-boost-155mm-ammo-production/army/13. Human Rights Watch. (2007). VI. Israeli Artillery Shelling Since the IDF Withdrawal https://www.hrw.org/reports/2007/iopt0707/6.htm14. WSJ Equipped. (n.d.). Why the 155mm Shell Is One of the World’s Most Wanted Objects Now. https://youtu.be/NZOEgFLCvLU?t=33215. EFE Noticias. (n.d.). Gaza death toll from Israeli attacks surpasses 9,000, including 3,760 children. https://efe.com/en/other-news/2023-11-02/gaza-death-toll-from-israeli-attacks-surpasses-9000-including-3760-children/16. Prasanta Kumar Dutta and Jon McClure (n.d.). Mapping the conflict in Israel and Gaza. https://www.reuters.com/graphics/ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/MAPS/movajdladpa/17. ReliefWeb. (n.d.). Explosive Violence in January 2024 - occupied Palestinian territory. [Insert URL if available]

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