Defense and Security Studies Commons^™

Special Report: Solomon Islands’ Explosive Legacy, Mette Eliseussen, John Rodsted

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Solomon Islands encompass over 900 islands scattered across the ocean north of Australia and east of Papua New Guinea. Many of the 500,000 inhabitants still live with unknown quantities of explosive remnants of war (ERW) left behind from combat between Japan and the United States during World War II. Unexploded ordnance (UXO) of both U.S. and Japanese origin remains on some of the nation’s atolls. Since the end of the war, sporadic clearance was undertaken, including through Operation Render Safe, a joint clearance program between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. There have also …

Working From A Distance In War-Affected Libya, Nikolaj Søndergaard

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

A unique partnership between DanChurchAid (DCA) and Lebanese authorities facilitates explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) training for Libyan authorities, who can now start their own national EOD teams and begin the clearance process.

Effectiveness And Impact Of Undp Mine Action Support: Lessons Learned, Charles Downs, Alan Fox

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has supported mine action in more than 40 countries since its first involvement in Cambodia in 1992. UNDP support generally focuses on the development of national mine action management capacities. In early 2016, the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of UNDP concluded the first global evaluation of the results of UNDP support in mine action, with particular attention to its effectiveness and impact. The evaluation reviewed documentation relating to all national, UNDP-supported mine action programs, in-depth desk reviews of support to 14 countries, and background for field case studies of three national programs (Laos, Mozambique, …

Emerging Patterns Of Erw Injuries In Laos, Stacey Pizzino, Colette Mcinerney, Jo Durham

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The year 2016 marks the beginning of a new era for international development, with the adoption of seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that will drive global development efforts until 2030. In post-conflict countries, humanitarian mine action will be an important enabler in achieving a number of SDGs, including goal 3: “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” Of particular relevance is target 3.9 of the SDGs, which specifies the need to reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from soil pollution and contamination. At present this relates primarily to indoor and outdoor air pollution. However, since …

Maxml: Coordinating Mine Action With Xml Technologies, Dionysia Kontotasiou, Olivier Cottray

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Mine Action XML (maXML) is an Extensible Markup Language (XML) schema developed by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD). It aims to standardize data management and data exchange among actors in the mine action community, which includes individuals and groups involved in any aspect of addressing the landmine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination. In this field, data exchange is mostly manual and often has to deal with chaotic environments. The goal of maXML is to contribute to the automatization of many of these processes, saving valuable time for staff in the field and improving the …

Endnotes Issue 20.3, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Endnotes Issue 20.3

From The Director, Ken Rutherford

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Here at CISR, our team is busy planning the 13th Senior Managers’ Course (SMC), which will take place in Biograd na Moru, Croatia, from 20 March to 7 April 2017. With the help of our local partner, the Croatian Mine Action Centre, CISR will implement a course designed specifically to address the needs of senior managers working in greater Southeast Europe as the region’s mine action programs undergo planned transitions. The course in Croatia will be our third regional SMC (Tajikistan in 2014 and Vietnam in 2015) since we began implementing the regional format in 2014; we hope to facilitate …

Explosive Remnants Of War Contamination Response In Libya, Damir Djakovic, Katarina Cvikl Balić

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Abu Grain is a town located 106 km (66 mi) east of Misrata and 138 km (86 mi) west of Sirte with an estimated population of 2,000 inhabitants. The town is known for its strategic road intersection connecting the Mediterranean cities of Misrata and Sirte with the desert district of Jufra. Between February and March 2016, Abu Grain’s population fled as Islamic State (IS) group forces advanced into town in an attempt to expand control toward the west of its stronghold in Sirte. According to the Libyan Red Crescent, Abu Grain’s inhabitants mostly fled to Bani Walid, Misrata, and Tripoli.

Rbm And Theories Of Change, Russell Gasser

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

“Give me your money; I’m busy doing things” is not the most convincing fundraising appeal. Instead, “Look at the difference our program has made to the lives of the people that were helped” is far more likely to get a positive response. The overall purpose of mine action is to improve people’s lives and livelihoods, to reduce casualties, and increase compliance with political commitments like the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC). Although this is widely known, standard reporting excessively includes information on how many people received risk education, how many square meters of land were cleared, or how many people …

The Role Of Research In Mine Action: A Response To Gasser, Ian Mclean, Rebecca Sargisson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Some years ago, a businessman came to me and said that he would like to start commercially farming lobsters, something that had not been attempted at the time. His key question was, “How long will the development research take?”

“I would think two to four years before a scaling-up exercise to make it commercially viable,” I answered.

Looking genuinely surprised he replied, “Really! I was thinking it should take about two weeks.”

This anecdote portrays a problem that emerges in almost every area of human enterprise. Those-who-do want and need to do right now. Those-who-create need time to design, build, …

Adapting The Erw Community To Combat Ied Threats, Brad Alford, Michael Kennedy

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In Iraq and other regions soon to be liberated from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), recovery and stability efforts are hindered by improvised explosive devices (IED), which threaten civilians returning home and/or assisting with reconstruction. According to Relief Web, the Anbar Provincial Council “discourage[d] the premature return of internally displaced persons (IDP) to Fallujah due to the remaining IEDs left behind by the Islamic state of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) militants.”This threat, coupled with the consequences of an asymmetrical conflict, has changed the operating environments encountered by organizations that respond to explosive remnants of war (ERW). …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

From The Director - Issue 20.2, Ken Rutherford

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

From the Director - Issue 20.2

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 …

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 …

Endnotes Issue 20.2, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Endnotes Issue 20.2

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.

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.

The One Exhibition The Roots Of The Lgbt Equality Movement One Magazine & The First Gay Supreme Court Case In U.S. History 1943-1958, Joshua R. Edmundson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The ONE Exhibition explores an era in American history marked by intense government sponsored anti-gay persecution and the genesis of the LGBT equality movement. The study begins during World War II, continues through the McCarthy era and the founding of the nation’s first gay magazine, and ends in 1958 with the first gay Supreme Court case in U.S. history.

Central to the story is ONE The Homosexual Magazine, and its founders, as they embarked on a quest for LGBT equality by establishing the first ongoing nationwide forum for gay people in the U.S., and challenged the government’s right to engage …

Outplayed: Regaining Strategic Initiative In The Gray Zone, A Report Sponsored By The Army Capabilities Integration Center In Coordination With Joint Staff J-39/Strategic Multi-Layer Assessment Branch, Nathan P. Freier, Charles R. Burnett, William J. Cain Jr., Christopher D. Compton, Sean M. Hankard, Robert S. Hume, Gary R. Kramlich Ii, J. Matthew Lissner, Tobin A. Magsig, Daniel E. Mouton, Michael S. Muztafago, John F. Troxell, Dennis G. Wille, James M. Schultze

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

U.S. competitors pursuing meaningful revision or rejection of the current U.S.-led status quo are employing a host of hybrid methods to advance and secure interests contrary to those of the United States. These challengers employ unique combinations of influence, intimidation, coercion, and aggression to incrementally crowd out effective resistance, establish local or regional advantage, and manipulate risk perceptions in their favor. So far, the United States has not come up with a coherent countervailing approach. It is in this “gray zone”—the awkward and uncomfortable space between traditional conceptions of war and peace—where the United States and its defense enterprise face …