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To Walk The Earth In Safety 23rd Edition (Fy2023), Cisr Jmu

Global CWD Repository

In this year’s edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety, we highlight the many ways that U.S. conventional weapons destruction assistance promotes post-conflict recovery. For example, our humanitarian demining funding enhances food security by helping to revitalize agricultural fields in countries like Sri Lanka and Vietnam. This funding is especially critical in Sri Lanka where more than 6 million people—nearly 30 percent of the population—are currently food-insecure. In Vietnam, our commitment to promoting agricultural security is a key component to successful post-conflict recovery, even decades after war ended.

The United States is the world’s top supporter of conventional …

Mine Action And Food Security: The Complexities Of Clearing Ukraine's Agricultural Lands, Markus Schindler, Anthony Connell

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Over the past decade, peace has eluded Ukraine. The annexation of Crimea and a separatist insurgency—sufficiently concerning in their own right—proved to be a mere prelude to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The largest land-war that Europe has seen since the Second World War is causing immense human suffering, devastating destruction, and extensive explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination. Mines, submunitions, and unexploded ordnance (UXO) continue to cost the lives of countless civilians and the death toll is rising by the day. Mine action organizations such as Fondation suisse de déminage (FSD) are working in Ukraine to …

How Uav Lidar Imaging Can Locate And Map Minefield Features: Cuito Cuanavale, Angola, Katherine James, Gert Riemersma, Pedro Pacheco

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In this article we outline how an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mounted light detection and ranging (Lidar) mapping system has been used for the detection and mapping of minefields in vegetated areas around Cuito Cuanavale, Angola. Work took place as part of The HALO Trust’s (HALO) research into aiding clearance of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) using drones.

Computer Vision Detection Of Explosive Ordnance: A High-Performance 9n235/9n210 Cluster Submunition Detector, Adam Harvey, Emile Lebrun

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The detection of explosive ordnance (EO) objects is experiencing a period of innovation driven by the convergence of new technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, open-source intelligence (OSINT) processing, and remote mobility capabilities such as drones and robotics.1 Advances are being made on at least two tracks: in the automated searching of photographic image archives, and in the real-time detection of objects in the field.2 Different technologies are responsive to different types of EO detection challenges, such as objects that are buried, semi-buried, or partially damaged. Computer vision—a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that enables computers and systems …

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction Issue 27.2 (2023), The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

• Updates on recent enhancements to IMAS.
• Food security and its connection to mine action as it applies to Ukraine.
• Digital EORE as a small NGO in mine action.
• A case study on moving beyond "do no harm" in environmental mainstreaming in mine action.
• Efforts of JICA and CMAC in fostering South-South cooperation in mine action.
• UAV Lidar imaging in mine action to detect and map minefields in Angola.
• Land disputes and rights in mine action.
• Computer vision detection of explosive ordnance.

To Walk The Earth In Safety 22nd Edition (Fy2022), Us Dos Pm/Wra

Global CWD Repository

After deadly landmines are removed and booby-traps and improvised explosive devices are cleared, wheat fields are now ready for harvesting, children can run to school on a path, families can return to their partially destroyed homes, and elephants are able to migrate through grasslands. Elsewhere, man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) and small arms and light weapons were secured or destroyed to prevent terrorists from acquiring them and attacking civilians. These are just some of the successes the U.S. Conventional Weapons Destruction Program achieves day after day, year after year, one step at a time. In fiscal year 2022, the United …

Mine Action In Support Of Yemen's Peace Process, Josh Ridley

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Between April and October 2022, the two major parties of Yemen’s ongoing conflict, the internationally recognized government (IRG) and the de facto authorities (DFA), agreed to a truce brokered by the UN’s Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen (OSESGY). A central component of the UN-brokered truce included the re-opening of roads around Yemen’s third largest city, Ta’iz, which all parties agreed to in principle. While an expected extension of the truce did not extend beyond October 2, there has not been a significant escalation in violence since the truce expired. The re-opening of roads in Ta’iz …

When A Safety Measure Becomes A Risk Accelerant: Removing The Option To Blast-In-Place When Clearing Explosive Remnants Of War, Lieutenant Colonel Geir P. Novik

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Accessible pdf attached.

The legacy of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and abandoned ammunition following armed conflict will, in many cases, have a severe impact on society and daily life, even for years or decades after hostilities end. These explosive remnants of war (ERW) represent a grave threat in many aspects, and the human, societal, and environmental impact can be severe. These explosive objects must therefore be located and disposed of—a job in itself that involves serious risks. Therefore, various safety measures are implemented to mitigate these risks. Some safety measures, however, could prove to have less than the desired effect, and …

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction Issue 27.1 (2023)

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Accessible pdf attached.

• Sustainable Mine Action Programs
• Colombia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, and Yemen
• The Next Generation of Humanitarian Mine Action Researchers
• PSSM: Building Cadres of Instructors through train-the-trainer programs

Imas Levels Of Eod & Iedd Qualifications, Drew Prater

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Accessible pdf attached.

Explosive hazards have caused more than 238,000 civilian casualties over the past decade, which only increases the need for these hazards to be cleared.[1] Clearance takes time, thoroughness, and personnel properly trained and qualified to detect, identify, render safe, and/or dispose of these deadly devices. The International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) were written to provide basic standards for not only explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and improvised explosive device disposal (IEDD) operations, but also the required training competencies for each level of both disciplines. The different levels delineate the competencies and responsibilities, while allowing for additional subjects …

The Road Ahead: Clearance Toward Sustainability In Bosnia And Herzegovina, Sean Sutton

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Accessible pdf attached.

The 1992-1995 Yugoslav wars resulted in landmines and explosive remnants of war that continue to contaminate the Balkans. In 2021—over 25 years after the end of the wars—the Landmine & Cluster Munition Monitor considered Bosnia and Herzegovina to be the most explosive ordnance-contaminated country in Europe, and characterized the landmine contamination alone as "massive." As of March 2022, The Landmine Monitor reported that Bosnia and Herzegovina had more than 945 km2 of suspected hazardous areas (SHA) and more than 20 km2 of confirmed hazardous areas.

Guide To The Ageing Of Explosive Ordnance In The Environment, Geneva International Centre For Humanitarian Demining

Global CWD Repository

The aim of this guide is to give an overview of what is currently known about the ageing of explosive ordnance and the changes in risk that this presents to EOD operators. Analysis of ageing requires internal examination of the ordnance, a highly technical process sometimes referred to as ‘exploitation’. A brief introduction to exploitation is given in Chapter 1. Different explosive ordnance with differing designs have different predispositions to ageing; this is explained in Chapter 2. How various environmental factors affect the components of explosive ordnance is covered in Chapter 3, more specific changes are detailed in Chapter 4. …

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Issue 25.3 (2023), Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

• Ukraine
• Human Forensics
• Reintegration of Former Combatants
• Afghanistan and Tajikistan
• Mental Health of Survivors and HMA Personnel
• Iraq
• Notes on T&EP 09.30, 09.31, and IMAS 09.30
• Environmental Soil Sampling and Analysis
• TIR Imaging

To Walk The Earth In Safety 21st Edition (Cy2021), U.S. Department Of State

Global CWD Repository

The United States is committed to reducing these threats worldwide and is the leading financial supporter of CWD, providing more than $4.2 billion in assistance to more than 100 countries since 1993. This makes the United States the world’s single largest financial supporter of CWD. The Department of State, Department of Defense, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) work together with foreign governments, private companies, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to reduce excess SA/LW and conventional munitions stockpiles (including MANPADS), implement best practices for PSSM at conventional weapons storage sites, and carry out HMA programs.

In 2021, …

Mechanical Equipment In Ied Clearance: Observations From Iraq, Pehr Lodhammar, Mark Wilkinson Ph.D.

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mechanical equipment has been in the inventory of conventional military forces for the purposes of military engineering—including demining—since the Second World War. The integration of mechanical equipment into the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) Iraq clearance activities may have therefore seemed a natural evolution from what might be considered ‘conventional’ mine clearance, yet it brought with it a number of issues. First, the absence of any clear doctrine for the use of mechanical equipment in improvised explosive device (IED) clearance generated resistance and criticism from specialist IED clearance companies operating at that time in Iraq. It was argued that …

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Issue 25.1, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Issue 25.1 of The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction. A special double issue celebrating our 25th anniversary

Mine Action: The Early Years, Ian Mansfield

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

At the global level, the year 1997 was undoubtably the pinnacle of interest in mine action. This was the year that saw the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Jody Williams and the International Campaign to Ban Land Mines (ICBL), the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the opening of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) for signature in Ottawa, the establishment of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) as the UN focal point for mine action, the formation of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), the genesis of the Mine Action Support Group (MASG), …

Letter From The Editor: The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction Celebrates 25 Years!, Steven Costner

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction is the leading publication in the fields of humanitarian mine action (HMA) and munitions destruction and security. Since 1997, experts in these fields have shared their critical thinking and innovative ideas on how to make their practical work safer and more efficient at the same time. For this 25th edition of The Journal, I invite you to join me in celebrating all the present and past authors who have shared their ideas, inventions, and perspectives to improve the lives of countless communities around the world.

Past, Present, Future: Mine Action In Motion, Ambassador Stefano Toscano Ph.D.

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The story of mine action is one of an adaptive and solution-oriented sector. Time and again, mine action has developed new approaches, tools, and standards to meet evolving challenges and circumstances at the field level. A strong partnership among all key actors has characterized the sector since its early years and has been instrumental to its agility and evolution.

A Note From The Interim Director, Suzanne Fiederlein Ph.D.

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

No abstract provided.

Afghanistan’S First Female Deminers: An Analysis Of Perception Changes Among Deminers, Families, And Communities, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

For the first time in the thirty years of mine action in Afghanistan, as part of an initiative of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), in June 2018 a mixed-gender demining team was deployed by the Danish Demining Group (DRC-DDG) to clear landmines in Bamyan Province, in the central highlands of the country. A minefield was successfully cleared in six months. Following the success of the first project, in 2019 the same demining team was deployed once again to Bamyan to clear other hazards, including the last known minefield in the province. Bamyan has since been declared the first …

Clearing The Mines 2021, Mine Action Review

Global CWD Repository

As at 1 October 2021, 56 States and 3 other areas (territories that are not internationally recognised as States) were contaminated by anti-personnel mines, as listed in Table 1. Asia (including the Middle East) is the most affected continent, with 23 mine-contaminated States. Most are not party to the APMBC. Across Asia (including the Middle East), Afghanistan, Cambodia, Iraq, Oman, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Yemen are all States Parties. China, India, Iran, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Lebanon, Myanmar, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Pakistan, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), …

Mitigating The Environmental Impacts Of Explosive Ordnance And Land Release, Mine Action Review

Global CWD Repository

Environmental considerations are rightly gaining increased prominence and awareness. Environmental experts agree that unprecedented changes in climate and biodiversity are taking place, threatening nature and human livelihoods around the world. The humanitarian community increasingly understands the need to identify and assess how their operations affect the natural environment and to mitigate the negative environmental impacts wherever possible.

The mine action sector has begun to recognise that in order to follow the humanitarian principle of “do no harm” it must be aware of and take action to mitigate the potential environmental damage that can occur during land release operations. While an …

Proof: How Small Drones Can Find Buried Landmines In The Desert Using Airborne Ir Thermography, John Fardoulis, Xavier Depreytere, Pierre Gallien, Kheria Djouhri, Ba Abdourhmane, Emmanuel Sauvage

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Hypotheses and speculation have circulated for at least three decades regarding how IR thermography could be viable as a technique for locating buried landmines in arid environments. However, there has been a lack of proof under actual field conditions. Addressing many overall questions regarding small drones in HMA, the Odyssey2025 Project—led by HI and Mobility Robotics— closely collaborated with the national mine action center in Chad, the Haut Commissariat National au Déminage (HCND), to complete activities and objectives. As part of a holistic approach, the primary objective was to determine how small drones could add value in HMA field operations …

Landmines In America's Backyard, Ken Rutherford Ph.D.

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Few realize the world’s first widespread deployment of landmines took place during the American Civil War (1860–1865). At the start of the war, the disparity in military manpower, materiel, and weaponry between the North and South was significant. The gap widened in the Union’s favor as the war progressed, forcing the Confederate war industry to innovate and improvise. As the conflict progressed, landmine warfare advanced commensurately, and both tactics and technology evolved to include innovative types of design and deployment. During the war’s later years, Confederate soldiers used both command-detonated and victim-activated landmines more frequently to defend and to protect …

Time To Stem Lightweight Approaches And Focus On Real Minefield Data?, John Fardoulis, Xavier Depreytere

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

While preparing for airborne IR thermography fieldwork as part of the Odyssey2025 Project between Humanity & Inclusion and Mobility Robotics in Chad, a comprehensive literature study was conducted by the authors From the literature reviewed, the authors identified a disconnect between thermography-related research projects and practical, real-world HMA operations. The importance of real fieldwork, the significance of undergoing a literature review before starting your own research, and the need for researchers to work in conjunction with HMA operators are all essential, not only to those working in HMA, but more importantly, to the post-conflict communities the sector strives to help.

Operationalized Management Information Systems In Iraq's Dma, Mark Steyn, Arie Claassens

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The perception of management information systems (MIS) often conjures up images of highly-technical tools requiring arcane development practices and data preparation rituals, but a simple solution providing easy access to the relevant data delivers a bigger impact than a highly technical tool gathering dust. The Iraq National Mine Action Authority has implemented an MIS application for use in the office and field to improve decision-making processes’ speed and quality.

On-The-Ground Information Management Tools In Northeast Syria, Suleiman Nyamwaya, Joel Ndegwa

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Beginning in early 2017, clearance activities in northeast Syria have been carried out primarily by NGOs. Initially, clearance was focused on agricultural land, but other critical infrastructure such as education, shelter, and electricity followed suit over time. Toward the end of 2017, iMMAP began providing coordination support to humanitarian mine action actors through the application of the Information Management System for Mine Action.

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Issue 24.2 (2020), Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

• Editorial: HMA and COVID-19: A Donor's Perspective
• Editorial: Time To Focus on Real Minefield Data
• Mine Action Information Management in Iraq and Northeast Syria
• IMAS 10.60 Update: Investigation and Reporting of Accidents and Incidents
• The Mine Free Sarajevo Project
• SALW in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the DRC
• Gender and Diversity in Mine Action
• Victim Assistance in Ukraine
• Landmines in the American Civil War
• Risk Education in Colombia
• R&D: The Odyssey2025 Project

The Mine Free Sarajevo Project, Marija Trlin, Elise Becker, Nataša Uršič

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mine Free Sarajevo is a US-funded project aiming to clear more than six million square meters of mine-suspected and mine-contaminated land in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and surrounding municipalities. The project utilizes land release methodology, a cost-effective and safe way to release large areas by combining technical and non-technical survey methods. Upon completion of the project, the Sarajevo region will finally become mine-free and safe for the local population. This will enable social and economic growth and the development of many infrastructure projects that have been on hold for years.