Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Determining The Value Of Uavs In Iraq, Brad Alford, Edward Curran, Shawn Cole

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As areas of Iraq and Syria controlled by ISIS are liberated, internally displaced persons (IDP) are returning to their homes to face widespread destruction and contamination from deadly improvised explosive devices (IED) implanted by ISIS to maim, kill, and terrorize. Janus Global Operations (Janus) currently operates throughout Iraq, clearing IEDs with a focus on bringing critical infrastructure online to allow IDPs to return safely and resume their lives.

Operating in urban environments has proven challenging due to the high volume of destroyed buildings and associated rubble. In urban environments, operators are exposed to uncertain situations when traditional detection methods can …

Mitigating Adverse Environmental Impacts In Mine Action, Martin Jebens, Gianluca Maspoli

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In order to help mitigate adverse environmental impacts, this article supports the mainstreaming of environmental concerns into mine action. This is achievable by strengthening existing standards, and is motivated by two main factors.

Minefield Sketch Maps In Humanitarian Mine Action, Jesse Hamlin, Luan Jaupi

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Digital technology has the ability to bring minefield artifacts from the field to life. The HALO Trust (HALO) has been using Colortrac large format scanners in several programs around the world, to scan minefield sketch maps from the field, allowing these historical records to be viewed on desktop and laptop computers. Once the maps are scanned, they are geo-referenced in geographic information systems (GIS) to display alongside other layers, and used to allow HALO to build its database of activities through digitization of paper records alongside data that is recorded directly onto tablets.

Clearing Safe Spaces For Drought Affected Communities In Somaliland, Edward Lajoie, Megan Dwyer

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGO) working in the Horn of Africa consistently identify conflict and climate change as two primary drivers of insecurity in the region. The HALO Trust’s landmine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) clearance in the Republic of Somaliland over the last 19 years has been at the intersection of these two issues.

Lessons From The Past: The Rapid Clearance Of Denmark’S Minefields In 1945, Roly Evans

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The clearance of the vast majority of Denmark’s minefields during 1945 was remarkable. In just under five months, a force ranging between 750 and 2,600 German prisoners of war (POW) under the supervision of 250–350 Danish officers and noncommissioned officers cleared 1,389,281 mines from an area of 1,103.2 sq km (425.9 sq mi). Such speed of clearance stands in stark contrast with much of modern humanitarian mine action since the 1990s. This article will explain how such speed was possible and why it could not reasonably be repeated today. The article will also identify a number of important lessons that …

Why Is Water So Efficient At Suppressing The Effects Of Explosions?, Stephen Salter, John Parkes

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

When most experienced explosives engineers first observe an explosion suppressed by bags of water, they are convinced that there has been a misfire. Depending on the amount of water and the way it is contained, the overpressure can be reduced by a factor of ten, sometimes more than twenty. The number of fragments from shell cases can be one hundred times less. Their velocities can be seven times. Slugs from focal point charges are stopped. Safety distances around magazines can be cut. The number of people evacuated from a bomb disposal site can be reduced. In June 1999, engineers from …