Military Necessity . Modern technology has produced a large inventory of missiles and projectiles capable of destroying tanks and other armored targets. The United States alone has 35 different anti-armor weapons, plus another 10 weapons under development. Depleted uranium ammunition is but one tool in a vast anti-armor arsenal, and its necessity is questionable in the face of a vastly diminished armored threat. Alternatives Tungsten Alloy .
Tungsten alloy competes with depleted uranium for use in kinetic energy penetrators.
Tungsten alloy ammunition is widely used, and, in US Army tests, has demonstrated its ability to penetrate even dense depleted uranium armor. Independent ballistics experts should assess whether tungsten alloy, as it exists now or after further development, could meet the armor piercing needs of armed forces. Impediments The Pentagon . Ongoing Pentagon resistance to investigations of depleted uranium ammunition represents the most significant impediment to a resolution of this issue. The Pentagon is primarily interested in safeguarding the use of depleted uranium ammunition, but it is also strongly influenced by a desire to avoid the financial obligations of cleaning up DU contamination and assisting ailing veterans and civilians.