Defense and Security Studies Commons^™

One-Handed In A Two-Handed World, Book Review

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Applying her own life experience to One-Handed in a Two-Handed World, author Tommye-K. Mayer provides readers with a plethora of advice on how handle everyday life, single-handedly.

Minada America, Documentary Review

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Minada America, produced by photojournalists Vinicius Souza and Maria Eugênia Sá, is a book and film package documenting the lives of Latin Americans devastated by landmines and other explosive remnants of war. Dismayed by the lack of media attention to the problem of landmines and ERW, the producers' main goal is to expose the problem to a world that is largely oblivious to the tragedies they cause

Unsung Hero: Howard "Jim" Yoder, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Since getting involved in mine action six years ago, Jim Yoder has contributed his dedication and long hours in the field to help reap humanitarian benefits for many people in Thailand, Cambodia and now the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Yoder is an inspiration to his peers and the many others he has reached through his work.

Mine-Clearance Activities And Ansa Participation: An Analysis, Sadi Caysi

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Effective mine action requires numerous actors to peacefully collaborate: governmental and nongovernmental, international and local. Armed non-state actors (ANSA) that operate beyond central control, such as rebel opposition groups and paramilitary organizations, and private defense companies can often provide necessary contributions to mine action. Understanding ANSAs allows humanitarian organizations to communicate, cooperate and avoid conflict.

Clearing The Way For A More Productive Future, Sophia Aron

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

For many communities, the land is their livelihood; however, the threat of landmines has affected agricultural communities all over the world. In this article, the author describes how, in Yemen, the United Nations Development Programme and other organizations are using techniques that fully preserve the environment and still allow for safe, successful demining.

Buy A Schonstedt, Save A Life, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Schonstedt Instrument Company takes an active role in promoting social responsibility by donating one magnetic locator to the United Nations Mine Action Team for every Tracemaster II or XTpc commercial cable/utilities locator Schonstedt sells. In creating and implementing this initiative, the company helps countries lacking extensive resources increase their demining capabilities.

Undp Management Training Programme For National Mine Action Managers, Charles Downs

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The current training programmes for National Mine Action Managers are examined to determine the advantages of the courses as well as areas in which the programmes can be improved.

Environmental Damages From Minefields, Raafat Misak, S. Omar

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Desert Storm brought Iraqi Forces to Kuwait and, with them, mines. Aerial diagrams illustrate the areas of Kuwait still littered with landmines. Landmines are causing significant short- and long-term damage to the environment, resulting in soil erosion, destruction of vegetation and topsoil, and negatively impacting wildlife.

Demichain: A New Concept Of Mechanical Demining, Rene Joeckle

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

DEMICHAIN is a new concept for mechanical demining, in which a horizontal web of heavy chains hung several metres above a surface to be cleared is dropped in a free fall and delivers a mechanical impulse over the whole surface hit by the chains. A pressure wave expands in the soil and is expected to trigger the active landmines. A description of the device is given, as well as comparisons to other demining devices. The author offers that DEMICHAIN provides numerous advantages to current mechanical-demining techniques, though it requires further testing before it can be used in real-life situations.

Endnotes Issue 11.2, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Endnotes Issue 11.2

Ddasaccident584, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The deminer was working within the Site Preparation Stage to identify the centre of the mine line and an IOE was already identified and recovered the expected mines about 15m to our side from the mine centre line which already quality up to the assigned depth (15cm) and all the mines recovered from the site were a surface mines and when the deminer trying to bring out some stones he stepped on un expected mine in the site with the heel.

Ddasaccident621, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

It is the BOI and AMAC investigation team conclusion that the victim section leader, had found an unknown object during rest time and was tampering with it that suddenly the unknown object which probably was a UXO fuse exploded and caused left hand amputation, cut of right hand some fingers, left eye injury and left leg injuries to him.

Ddasaccident614, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

It is the conclusion of the investigation team that the involved deminer did not properly mark the signal with the reading marker. Also he was carelessly excavating the reading point, and this caused the mine to be exploded.

Ddasaccident598, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

It is the conclusion of investigation team that the involved deminer was excavation a signal in an area where the ground surface was hard with dense vegetation, and considering the crater created as a result of the explosion it seems that the deminer was excavating the signal about 30 cm on right side of the working lane where he was not in a stable position for excavating the signal by scraper; the excavation of this lane required to be done in next clearance lane.

Humanitarian Impact Evaluation - Battlefield Area Clearance South Lebanon (2007), Hi

Global CWD Repository

The aim of the report is to provide narrative and statistical data to demonstrate the humanitarian impact of Handicap International's Battlefield Area Clearance efforts in South Lebanon during the first 12 months of operations (December 2006 to December 2007). Handicap International has been conducting BAC in South Lebanon, since starting its operations in December 2006. During the first year of clearance, HI cleared: Private homes and gardens; private agricultural land; public land used for grazing and natural resources; public resources, such as clinics, of cluster bomb units that presented a contamination from the 2006 conflict. The clearance had a wide …

Geneva International Centre For Humanitarian Demining 2007 Annual Report, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Annual narrative report on the work of the GICHD during 2007.

Mine Action Strategy (2009-2019) - Bosnia And Herzegovina, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

On December 3rd 1997, Bosnia and Herzegovina signed the Convention banning the production, use, stockpiling and transport of AP mines. The Convention also contains obligation to clear all known mined areas by March 2009. Accordingly, the Council of Ministers on 28 November 2006 made a decision to start the evaluation process of the existing Mine Action Strategy for the period 2005-2009, as well as the preparation of new strategic document for the period 2009-2019. This second document would provide the basis for an extension of the Convention deadline for total removal of mines.

In accordance with the evaluation of current …

Ddasaccident698, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

While he was marking his designated clearance lane in term of work progress, a painted stone fall down from his hand and caused for blowing off the mine.

An Analysis Of Second-Tier Arms Producing Country Offset Policies: Technology Transfer And Defense Industrial Base Establishment, Brian S. Confer

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to determine if offsets are an effective means of second-tier countries acquiring technology and if offsets enhance their ability to establish and maintain an industrial base capable of producing high-technology weapons for use indigenously and for export. Included in the research was an analysis of factors that lead to successful or unsuccessful technology transfer through the utilization of offsets. Additionally, the research analyzed the factors that lead to the successful or unsuccessful establishment and maintenance of an indigenous defense industrial base through the utilization of offsets. The author concludes that the utilization of offsets …

Ddasaccident717, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Two police officers, [Victim No. 1] (33) and [Victim No.2] (34), and one member of the Novo Goražde Civil Protection, [Victim No. 3] (44), were killed in a landmine blast that happened in an unmarked minefield located 10 km away from Goražde towards Ustiprača.

Ddasaccident783, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

According to claim of team, while the acting section leader was checking a lane cleared by one of team party and wanted to fix the location of a marking stone suddenly the stone fell down to un-cleared area and hit top of a mine/UXO causing it to explode.

Ddasaccident618, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The primary cause of this accident is listed as a Field Control Inadequacy because the demining group left the area without appropriately marking those areas worked and those that were still hazardous. The secondary cause is listed as a Management Control Inadequacy because it is the demining group’s senior management’s responsibility to ensure that the field managers left the task area responsibly.

Operationalizing Offensive Social Engineering For The Air Force, Bryan E. Skarda

Theses and Dissertations

Social engineering is the art and science of persuading individuals to bypass in place security mechanisms causing the unintended release of information. It is a low tech solution to a high tech problem and is as much an art as a science. As is true of many such solutions, social engineering is both ill-defined yet extremely effective. Its low cost, high payoff nature makes it an extremely attractive alternative to adversaries that do not have access to all the resources of a nation state. However, with full backing, the weapon can become that much more effective. Social engineering is something …

Gender In Mine Action: The Tajikistan Experience, Shahrinisso Davlyatova

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article discusses the involvement of Tajik women in educating those in their communities about the threats of landmines and unexploded ordnance. It also highlights why there is an increased danger from landmines and unexploded ordnance for women and children.

Unsung Hero: Noimany Pialeuxay, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Noimany Pialeuxay, the first woman driver to be hired by MAG Lao PDR, has worked with her all-female unexploded ordnance clearance team to clear landmines in remote areas of Laos. Her story has been an inspiration to many other women who wish to join the demining effort.

News Briefs, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

News Briefs

Humanitarian Impact Evaluation: Battlefield Area Clearance In South Lebanon, Aneeza Pasha

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

After the 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Handicap International sent battlefield-area clearance teams to South Lebanon to help clear the land of unexploded ordnance and other explosive remnants of war. This article is a report of the impact on the civilian population due to the conflict and the impact of the cleanup efforts by HI. It aims to provide narrative and statistical data to demonstrate the humanitarian impact of Handicap International’s BAC efforts in South Lebanon from December 2006 to December 2007.

Gender Issue: An Example From Lao Pdr, Jo Durham

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article begins with a brief overview of the literature that helped frame a gender assessment MAG undertook and put gender into perspective within the broader development discourse, helping to identify where there are important linkages between gender and mine action. Following this summary, which highlights the centrality of gender in poverty-eradication efforts, an overview of the assessment (including methods and key findings) is provided

Will Oslo Be The Next Ottawa? The Cluster-Munitions Debate, Jeff Abramson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

More than a decade has passed since the monumental Ottawa Mine Ban Convention was opened for signature in December 1997. Now, with the adoption of the text of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in May 2008, the global community is closer than ever to an international agreement prohibiting the use of cluster munitions. A review of the key issues underpinning the debate on cluster munitions follows.

Connecting The Dots: The Ottawa Convention And The Ccm, Ken Rutherford, Nerina Čevra, Tracey Begley

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions have refined the victim-assistance concepts found in the Ottawa Convention by defining victim assistance and clarifying VA obligations in the CCM. As the authors note, States Parties recognize that change can only be created through the people who implement it.