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From The Director - Issue 20.2, Ken Rutherford

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

From the Director - Issue 20.2

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction Issue 20.2 (2016), Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mobile Technologies in CWD

South and Central Asia

Field Notes

Research and Development

Integrated Cooperation On Explosive Hazards Program In Central Asia, Luka Buhin

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Office in Tajikistan (OiT) facilitates regional cooperation and coordination in the field of mine action in Central Asia, predominantly focusing on but not limited to inter-military cooperation. This approach falls under the OSCE concept of comprehensive and cooperative security. One of the best examples of this cooperation is the OSCE extra-budgetary project, the Integrated Cooperation on Explosive Hazards Programme (ICExH), which has been running since mid-2013. The project received financial support from the governments of Austria and the Netherlands in the past, while the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in …

Armed Violence Reduction In Central Mali: A Community-Based Approach, Sonia Pezier, Jean-Denis Larsen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

According to the Small Arms Survey, around 526,000 persons are killed every year as a result of armed violence, and many more sustain injuries requiring medical and rehabilitative care that severely impacts their lives. In West Africa, the propagation of small arms and light weapons (SA/LW) escalates armed conflicts and affects the security and the stability of the entire Sahel region.

Flail Technology In Demining, Ashish Juneja

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

With the use of rollers, tillers and chain flails, the focus of minefield clearance has shifted since the early 1980’s from military to humanitarian demining. These machines can clear 200–300 mm of soil depending on the speed of the vehicle and its configuration, the soil type and the terrain. Unfortunately, heavy machines are difficult to operate at these slow speeds unless large amounts of power are available to run and rotate the flails. Moreover, recent literature cites the use of modern technology in demining (e.g., infrared imaging, ground penetration radar, thermal neutron activation and X-ray tomography). Mechanical machines, however, are …

Implementing International Obligations To Clear Mines, Stuart Maslen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Each State Party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) that knows or suspects it has areas under its jurisdiction or control that contain anti-personnel (AP) mines has a clear deadline to locate and destroy those mines. According to Article 5(1), upon becoming party to the APMBC, a State must complete clearance within ten years, unless the deadline is pushed back in an agreement from the other States Parties at an annual meeting or five-yearly review conference.

Mobile Data Collection: Interoperability Through New Architecture, Elizabeth Vinek, Sulaiman Mukahhal, Olivier Cottray

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Information management (IM) requires close collaboration between all parties in a mine action program and cannot be carried out in isolation. Effective IM involves tools as well as organizational processes that clearly define how different parties interact and function with IM. Without adequately defining processes through National Mine Action Standards (NMAS) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), even the most advanced and fit-for-purpose IM tools will lack the foundation to be effective.

From The Field: Mobile Technologies For Mine Action, Torsten Vikstrom

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Breakthroughs in technology development transformed desktop computers into small, powerful mobile units equipped with intelligent software and extensive possibilities to connect and interact. Alternatively, the world of mine action still depends on manual work done with pen and paper, and the process of field data collection is especially exposed. However, field tests show that the use of mobile technology vastly improves safety and increases the effectiveness of field work. Adapting to new mobile technologies for field data collection will also positively affect the ways in which we gather, share, analyze, monitor and evaluate information.

Mobile Technologies: Uxo Lao's Easy Sketch Map, Hayashi Ontoku Akihito

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Established in 1996, the Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme (UXO Lao) promotes risk education and clears land for agriculture, community purposes (e.g., schools, hospitals, temples and water supplies) and other development activities. UXO Lao is working in the nine most impacted Lao provinces nationwide. Although recent changes occurred to UXO Lao’s survey procedure, the program continues mapping out contaminated areas throughout the country.

Building Tajikistan’S National Capacity, Bahriniso Shamsieva

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Headquartered in Vienna, Austria, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization of 57 member States. Currently conducting 16 field missions, OSCE develops confidence building measures in the field of security while providing conflict- prevention capabilities and a capacity-building process for participating nations. These mine action activities are supported by the OSCE Permanent Council and implemented by field missions via partnerships with the host countries.

Afghanistan’S National Mine Action Strategic Plan (2016–2021), Mohammad Akbar Oriakhil

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Afghanistan suffers from severe landmine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination, mostly as a result of the Soviet-Afghan War (1979–1989), internal conflict lasting from 1992 to 1996, and the United States-led coalition intervention in late 2001.

The Uxo Sector In Laos, Titus Peachey

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Nearly fifty years after the nine-year Secret War (1964–1973), Laos is the scene of a US$35–$40 million annual enterprise, employing more than 3,000 workers who, with assistance from governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGO) around the world, are engaged in unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance, victim assistance and mine risk education (MRE). The 2.2 million tons of bombs included an estimated 270 million cluster munitions, many of which failed to detonate on impact and created a lethal landscape to which villagers returned after the war. The inevitable post-war casualties now number more than 20,000. A high percentage of victims over the past …

Explosive Remnants Of War: A Deadly Threat To Refugees, Ken Rutherford, Andrew Cooney

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The deadly legacy of explosive remnants of war (ERW), including landmines, improvised explosive devices (IED) and unexploded ordnance (UXO) is increasingly a threat to refugee populations, economic migrants and internally displaced persons (IDP) in countries throughout Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Finding Legacy Minefields In The Jordan Valley, Jamal Odibat

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Due to the many difficulties in accurately determining the location of legacy minefields, demining personnel need traditional and sometimes improvised methods for locating and verifying contamination. With a unique combination of terrain, vegetation, water resources and soil types, the Jordan Valley requires specialized minefield survey and clearance methods to avoid harming the environment.

Maximizing The Effectiveness Of Mobile Technology, Howard Rudat

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mobile technology has transformed the way we live our lives and has the potential to dramatically assist in demining. However, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems coupled with explosive remnants of war (ERW) related applications leave capability gaps and create potential risks that must be closed. A more tailored and deliberate ecosystem approach when employing mobile technology will yield greater benefits and avoid the problems encountered when Alexa, Cortana, Google Now or Siri do not provide the necessary information. It seems that at the times when you need information the most, the smart personal assistants provided by Google, Apple and Microsoft either …

Endnotes Issue 20.2, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Endnotes Issue 20.2

Mobile Technology In Mine Action: The Fulcrum Application, Camille Wallen, Nick Torbet

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In 2014, The HALO Trust (HALO) began trialing Fulcrum, a mobile data collection application for survey developed by Fulcrum Mobile Solutions. Due to the success of the trial, the subscription-based commercial product, designed specifically for mobile data collection, was used in eight HALO programs. Using Fulcrum, HALO has created 35 applications that collect data for a variety of outputs, including rapid contamination assessments, socioeconomic and impact surveys, minefield quality assurance checks, vehicle and logistics checks, and a number of reports including technical and nontechnical surveys, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), mine risk education (MRE), and daily minefield stats reports.