Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Demining Of Farmland - Cost/Benefit Analysis And Quality Control, Peter Schoeck

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The value gained by the demining of farmland is estimated and compared with the cost of demining for manual demining and mechanized demining. It is found that for farmland used for growing ordinary crops (as opposed to “luxury” crops yielding higher prices), the cost of demining and recultivation for reasons of economy is not to exceed 40 cents (U.S.)/m. To reach this target requires mechanized demining wherever possible, confining manual demining to areas not suitable for mechanized demining. A method is shown by which 100 percent safety of the demined area can be achieved and which facilitates quality control. The …

The U.S. Approach: Deminer Personal Protective Equipment Development, George Zahaczewsky

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The deminer and his partner began work at 0730. By 0850, they had cleared 50 square meters. Both men wore frag-jackets, helmets and visors. The victim was clearing by using his prodder. He was called to help his section leader remove grass from a large pothole in the road. As he returned at 0850, he stepped on a mine he had previously missed. (Extracted from the Database of Demining Incident Victims, 1999, Incident #53.)

Manual Demining In Afghanistan, Kefayatullah Eblagh

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article has been removed.

Reducing Accidents In Demining: Achievements In Afghanistan, James Trevelyan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article has been removed.

Saving Private Hashim, Dennis Barlow

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Sometimes, a subjective event can focus our thinking the way objective knowledge cannot. The movie "Saving Private Ryan" had the extraordinary effect of causing millions of cinema fans around the world to marvel and, hopefully, to ponder the extent to which we sometimes go to protect the life and dignity of one individual. The premise was that the policy, strategy and resources of a major country at war could be altered in such a way to defy objective logic (risking far too much for one individual) for a limited goal, in this case-to ensure the viability of one family. It …

Part Ii, Strategic Management For Mine Action Operations: A Case For Government- Industry Partnering, Alan Childress, Pete Owen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Directed mainly at policy makers and leaders in mine-plagued nations and government and non-government mine action planners, the article argues for holistic mine action strategies, coordinated priorities and best management practices. The authors establish the need for nations to rake charge of their mine action organizations and present strategic management methodology to implement self-determination concepts. They insist that humanitarian demining must start with the end in mind, an integrated and nationally prioritized requirements analysis of each of the mine action areas: mine awareness, mine field assessment and surveys, mine and UXO clearance, victim assistance and information management. They also suggest …

A Full-Scale Evaluation Of Lightweight Personal Protective Ensembles For Demining In Providing Protection Against Blast-Type Anti-Personnel Mines, Aris Makris, J. Nerenberg

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

A wide range of equipment, in the form of helmets, vests, aprons and trousers, is currently in use around the world to protect deminers against the effects of AP mines. Significant variations exist in terms of the level of protection afforded, operational usefulness, quality of manufacturing and cost of each of these components. To date, there have been limited studies undertaken to systematically and quantitatively assess the effectiveness of the different protective components applied to both the civilian and military demining theaters. This study summarizes the efforts of numerous full-scale test series carried out in 1999, with particular emphasis on …

Quality Standards For Demining, James Trevelyan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In the last two years, several authors have commented critically on the 99.6 percent standard for humanitarian mine clearance adopted by the United Nations and its agencies. These standards are being redrafted, yet from the literature and recent comments, it is clear that there is little intellectual foundation on which to build a new standard. There are three issues that need to be addressed. First, what is an acceptable quality standard for humanitarian demining? Second, how can one measure the quality levels actually achieved in humanitarian demining? Third, how can one implement a cost-effective training and monitoring process to ensure …

Conquering The Insurmountable, Stephanie Schlosser, Virginia Saulnier

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Canadian Center for Mine Action Technologies (CCMAT) is a partnership of resources from the Department of National Defense and Industry Canada. The Center is co-located with the Defense Research Establishment Suffield (ORES) at Canadian Force Base Suffield in Alberta.

Mozambique: A Country Ravaged By Civil War And Nature, Stephanie Schlosser, Virginia Saulnier

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mozambique, a nation fraught with the aftermath of civil war and, more recently, torrential downpours devastating the countryside, has attained sufficient stability to attempt the mammoth task of reconstructing its social and economic foundation. After suffering through 16-20 years of civil war, which eventually subsided in 1992, Mozambique's demining efforts were progressing when the nation was struck by Cyclone Eline in late February 2000 and Cyclone Hudah in mid-April 2000, complicating the demining mission. Initial reports indicated that mine fields that had been previously mapped for clearance had suddenly vanished, as the violent storms swept the mines to unknown locations. …

Central America Landmine Survivors: The Need For Action In Nicaragua, William Boyce

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Landmines are indiscriminate weapons, wounding and killing not only soldiers but women and children as well. Although hostilities may cease, landmines continue to maim and kill 500 victims a week, the equivalent of 26,000 additional disabled persons each year. There are at least 250,000 landmine-disabled people in the world, and the number continues to grow.

The Effectiveness Of Different Personal Protective Ensembles In Preventing Injury To The Thorax From Blast-Type Anti-Personnel Mines, J. Nerenberg, Aris Makris, H. Kleine

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

It is well established from numerous documented cases of bomb blasts that, under certain conditions (determined by the amount and proximity of explosive), the transmitted shock wave and associated overpressure generated by the detonation of an explosive device can cause critical and fatal injuries to the thorax, e.g., “blast lung.” As such injuries tend to be internal and thus difficult to detect, there has been considerable debate in recent years on the significance of the blast overpressure injury in the context of demining/mine clearance compared to more visible injuries, such as, amputation of extremities, fragmentation wounds and blindness. A wide …

Personal Protective Equipment: The Never-Ending Story, Lance J. Malin

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Now, as always, there is a huge debate about what protection is required and what Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be provided for personnel engaged in demining operations. Current opinion varies drastically between individual demining organizations, countries in which they operate and between governing bodies, which are coordinating the demining efforts.

Ronco Executives Talk About Demining Integration And The Imas Contract, Margaret S. Busé

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article has been removed.

Ronco, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

RONCO Consulting Corporation is an international services firm specializing in demining and humanitarian assistance, agri-business, procurement services and private enterprise development. RONCO's involvement in demining evolves from 20 years experience with worldwide development and assistance contracts. RONCO has been operational in Mozambique, Afghanistan, Thailand, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Cuba, Angola, Rwanda, Bosnia and Croatia. RONCO is the only firm in the U.S. that has developed and is successfully using "free running" dogs for mine detection.

Mgm (Menschen Gegen Minen), Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Founded in Germany in January 1996, by Directors Hendrik Ehlers and Hans Georg Kruessen, MgM, translated to "The Charity of People Against Land mines," has generated much discussion as one of the leading international demining organizations.

Improved Anti-Personnel Mine Neutralization Device Test Report, Christopher Wanner

Global CWD Repository

This report describes the results and analysis of the field test of the Improved Anti Personnel Mine Neutralization Device (APMINUD). This is the second test of this equipment and follows a six month design and engineering effort on the equipment to correct and improve upon deficiencies identified in the initial version of the APMINUD.

The APMINUD is a mechanical tool designed to safely detonate antipersonnel landmines as part of a peace time clearance operation. The APMINUD consists of a mobile blast and fragment containment shell, with a mechanical striker inside. It can be used in conjunction with a shielded, all …

The Prom-1: Waiting In The Ground For The Deminers In Kosovo, Al J. Venter

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The PROM-1, the worst in bounding anti-personnel mines and not much bigger than a beer can, is a vicious weapon whose shrapnel can penetrate almost any body armor. It cuts through the average Kevlar helmet like cardboard, as it does often enough for those who try to clear these deadly little bombs, and Kosovo is full of them.

The Role Of Civil Affairs In Mine Action, Cisr

Global CWD Repository

This study, “The Role of Civil Affairs in Mine Action,” is not intended to be read from cover to cover by most users. It has been researched and written with three target audiences in mind: 1) the Mine Action official who would like to learn more about the application of Civil Affairs capabilities to humanitarian demining activities, 2) the Civil Affairs officer who would like to learn more about challenges and actions within the realm of humanitarian demining operations, and 3) US military officials who have a responsibility for, or an interest in, the proper unit design and uses of …

The Role Of Civil Affairs In Mine Action, Cisr

CISR Studies and Reports

The landmine threat to innocent civilians around the world is personally tragic, but it also represents a massive challenge to the development and infrastructure of nations at risk. Landmines have recently been used to target civilian populations and refugees, creating crisis situations regarding agriculture, indirect health consequences, and developmental choices.

Mine action is a series of activities which, taken together, attempt to ameliorate the effects of landmines. Mine action components include landmine clearance, mine awareness, and victim assistance and support activities. These diverse, and sometimes unrelated, operations are undertaken by numerous organizations, which are not typically under the control of …