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Articles 1291 - 1320 of 1366

Full-Text Articles in Emergency and Disaster Management

Body Protection Systems For Use In Humanitarian Demining: Applying Hard Science And End-User Feedback To Improve Personal Protection For Deminers, Richard L'Abbe, Aris Makris, Derrick Poon Young Jun 1999

Body Protection Systems For Use In Humanitarian Demining: Applying Hard Science And End-User Feedback To Improve Personal Protection For Deminers, Richard L'Abbe, Aris Makris, Derrick Poon Young

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Somewhere between the tightening budgets of program managers, myriad of demining activities, and fatigue among donors, lies a life-threatening issue which receives limited attention within the hierarchy of themes defining humanitarian demining. According to a large cross-section of deminers around the world, personal protection for deminers is considered a poor second cousin to such themes as mine awareness and victim assistance. They say the issue of improving personal protection needs to be pushed higher up the demining agenda.

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The Compact 230 Minecat, J. Barry Middlesmass Lockwood Beck Ltd., Margaret S. Busé Jun 1999

The Compact 230 Minecat, J. Barry Middlesmass Lockwood Beck Ltd., Margaret S. Busé

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

J. Barry Middlemass, Managing Director of Lockwood Beck Limited, has considerable experience in the field of mechanical mine clearance and mine clearance equipment. Before embarking on a career in mine clearance, He served in the military, including reserves, for a total of twenty-nine years, specializing in mines, explosives and improvised explosive devices. When he resigned his commission, he devoted himself fulltime to mechanical demining. As a director of Aardvark for ten years, he had a key role and made a significant contribution to the company's success. Currently, JBM runs his own consulting company, Lockwood Beck, advising a variety of clients …

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The Swedish Mine Fighter, An Interview With Mattias Willersjo, Catherine Harrigan, Mattias Willersjo Jun 1999

The Swedish Mine Fighter, An Interview With Mattias Willersjo, Catherine Harrigan, Mattias Willersjo

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

While mechanical mine clearance machines are regarded as an important part of the mine clearance effort, most experts agree that there is no one machine capable of clearing land mines and other unexploded ordnance (UXO) to the 99.6% clearance standard recommended by the United Nations. Acknowledging this problem, but still recognizing the potential benefits of mechanical mine clearance machines, many field experts advocate a "toolbox" approach to mine clearance, using various mechanical mine clearance machines in tandem with manual mine clearance to achieve the 99.6% clearance standard.

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Humanitarian Demining And Robotics, Y. Baudoin, M. Acheroy, M. Piette, J.P. Salmon Jun 1999

Humanitarian Demining And Robotics, Y. Baudoin, M. Acheroy, M. Piette, J.P. Salmon

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mines were used for the first time during the American Civil War in the United States (1861-1865). Anti-tank mines were later ameliorated and laid on the battlefields of the First World War. Mine clearing operations did not pose major problems with those visible and easy-to-detect anti-tank mines. The reason why Anti-personnel mines have been conceived and systematically used on the anti-tank minefields during the Second World War was because such mines prevented the enemy from easy demining of the defense system.

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Report On The Hidden Explosives Workshop, Rovereto June 1999, S.H. Salter Jun 1999

Report On The Hidden Explosives Workshop, Rovereto June 1999, S.H. Salter

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article gives some personal recollections of the highlights of the Rovereto workshop written in a form intended to be useful to working deminers. The workshop was organised by Mirco Elena of Istituto Trentino di Cultura. Funding and subsidies were from the United States Department of Energy and the Italian CARITRO foundation.

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The Case For The Flail: Mechanical Landmine Clearance For The Humanitarian Application A Manufacturer's View, William E. Green Jun 1999

The Case For The Flail: Mechanical Landmine Clearance For The Humanitarian Application A Manufacturer's View, William E. Green

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The basic requirement for a Mechanical Landmine Clearance System is to assist the overall humanitarian program to achieve effective and affordable landmine clearance while minimizing the risk to those involved. It is well understood that complete landmine clearing must involve a variety of tools. Experience has shown that the flail system, used together with other classical techniques, represents the most effective approach that present technology allows.

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Map-Driven Platforms For Moving Sensors In Mine Fields, S.H. Salter, C.N.G. Gibson Jun 1999

Map-Driven Platforms For Moving Sensors In Mine Fields, S.H. Salter, C.N.G. Gibson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This paper discusses two unconventional and complementary systems for sensor movement. The first platform is the Dervish, originally designed to bypass the problem of mine detection by deliberately rolling over them with mine-resistant wheels. The second uses carbon-fibre cables to set the position of a payload supported by a balloon. Some desirable features of a sensor platform might be as follows.

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Mechanically Assisted Landmine Clearance And Detection, Theodore R. Gendron Jun 1999

Mechanically Assisted Landmine Clearance And Detection, Theodore R. Gendron

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In response to worldwide requirements for Humanitarian Demining, Schiebel Technology, Inc., an independent U.S. based corporation, has focused on the research, development, and production of the CAMCOPTER Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System particularly germane to mechanically assisted landmine detection and clearance.

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From The Editor's Desk, Margaret S. Busé Jun 1999

From The Editor's Desk, Margaret S. Busé

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Signing on as Editor of the Journal of Mine Action has been an interesting experience. Getting an online and print publication up and running, from start to finish, has been intense. Conversations with individuals from all areas of the land mine community have been enlightening, engaging and thought provoking. Many of the contractors I had an opportunity to talk with expressed sincere dedication to landmine removal. They also expressed concern. Many spoke of the differences between policy and reality, between feasibility and research and the daunting task of a 99.6% clearance rate as dictated by the United Nations.

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Reclaiming The Land: A Veteran Revisits Vietnam, J.S. Chadwck Jun 1999

Reclaiming The Land: A Veteran Revisits Vietnam, J.S. Chadwck

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

When is a war really over? When the peace treaties are signed and the armies withdrawn? Or, when ordnance left over from the fighting is no longer killing people? If the answer to the last question is yes, then the Vietnam War is still going on. In Vietnam today people are being killed, or wounded on a daily basis by ordnance left behind by a conflict that should have ended 24 years ago. Most of those people are children. Throughout the Vietnamese countryside there are tens of thousands of pieces of unexploded ordnance (UXO). These UXO run the gamut from …

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Performance Report -The Minebreaker 2000, Thorsten Peter Jun 1999

Performance Report -The Minebreaker 2000, Thorsten Peter

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

At the end of 1995 a decision was taken within the Diehl Group to create technologies for humanitarian demining. A starting point for these considerations was the German government's firm political intention to make a significant contribution to combating the landmine plague and in particular - as one of the world's leading industrialized countries - to provide technology on an industrial scale for this purpose. The company Flensburger Fahrzeugbau GeselIschaft mbH (FFG) was commissioned to implement the project.

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The $64,000 Question: How Are We Going To Remove All Landmines In Ten Years?, Margaret S. Busé Jun 1999

The $64,000 Question: How Are We Going To Remove All Landmines In Ten Years?, Margaret S. Busé

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Thorsten Peter, of Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellscaft, manufacturers of the MINEBREAKER 2000 offers insight into the challenges of mechanical landmine clearance. "Humanitarian demining has to be accelerated. We can't go on at the pace we are presently going. It will simply take too long." -Mr. Thorsten Peter.

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The Heartlands Group, The Heartlands Group Jun 1999

The Heartlands Group, The Heartlands Group

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The development of mechanical mine clearance systems has been a long and protracted affair. It is generally accepted that no single machine can solve all mine problems, and if such a machine were to be developed, its size would probably prohibit it from being of practical use in the field.

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The Una-Usa Adopt-A-Minefield Program, Margaret S. Busé Jun 1999

The Una-Usa Adopt-A-Minefield Program, Margaret S. Busé

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The United Nations Association of the United States (UNA-USA) officially launched Adopt-A- Minefield in 1998, in partnership with the Humpty Dumpty Institute (HDI). It was at that time that Adopt-A-Minefield received the first list of minefields available for adoption from the United Nations. This summer they will launch a comprehensive website on landmines and Adopt-A-Minefield at www.landmines.org. This extensive website will contain mine information, corresponding links; mine afflicted community profiles, maps, children's information, and more.

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Boys With Toys Chase Silver Bullet, Joe Lokey Jun 1999

Boys With Toys Chase Silver Bullet, Joe Lokey

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

One of those wonderful little anecdotes in the mine action community that everyone quotes and misquotes allegedly came from a 13-year old school girl in Halifax, Nova Scotia. When hearing of the technical challenges in locating and destroying antipersonnel mines she asked, "Why is it that we can run a mechanized shoe box around the surface of Mars but can't seem to locate a dangerous tin can just a few centimeters below the surface of the earth?" Out of the mouths of babes...

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Magnetic Fragment Collection, James Trevelyan Jun 1999

Magnetic Fragment Collection, James Trevelyan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In a typical manual mine clearance operation, deminers often spend nearly all of their time finding metal fragments in the search for anti-personnel mines. Often there is too much metal to be able to use metal detectors: then the deminers have to probe an entire minefield by hand, every 25 - 50 mm apart, or even dig through thousands of square metres of ground by hand.

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The Operational Implementation Of Community Mine Awareness For Development: Practical Experiences In Mozambique, Peter Merten Feb 1999

The Operational Implementation Of Community Mine Awareness For Development: Practical Experiences In Mozambique, Peter Merten

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The idea for the Community Mine Awareness for Development (CMAD) concept was especially designed by the GTZ/MineTech partnership to minimize the risks of mines and UXO to the local population. In those areas, no complete mine clearance could be undertaken effectively in the short term. By integrating educational and specific sociological elements, CMAD aims to support the active participation of the villagers and their local communities in the process of rehabilitation and reconstruction. Hence, CMAD is a specific empowerment process designed for those communities which have to live with the mine and UXO threat for a long period before receiving …

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From The Director's Desk, Dennis Barlow Feb 1999

From The Director's Desk, Dennis Barlow

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

"Manila calling, Manila calling!" was a memorable from phrase from World War II to indicate that there was still hope in the Philippines and that the defenders were hanging on. While "Harrisonburg calling, Harrisonburg calling" does not have the same ring to it, we are nevertheless proclaiming that at the Mine Action Information Center (MAIC) at JMU is alive, well, and full of hope! The Humanitarian Demining Information Center (HDIC) indeed lives on under the new banner of Mine Action Information Center. What’s changed? What remains the same?

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An Integrated Approach To Providing Humanitarian Aid: The Humanitarian Demining Development Response Program In Saurimo, Angola, Amanda Pritchard Feb 1999

An Integrated Approach To Providing Humanitarian Aid: The Humanitarian Demining Development Response Program In Saurimo, Angola, Amanda Pritchard

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

There is potential for the effectiveness of humanitarian aid to be diminished through too narrow an approach. Recognizing this, Humanitarian Aid Medical Development (HMD) Response has developed an alternative. Rising to the challenge of responding to actual need, rather than prescribing a generic solution for multiple and intricate problems, HMD Response has developed a unique integrated program based in Saurimo, in north-east Angola.

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Mine Action - The Management Of Risk, Steve Brown Feb 1999

Mine Action - The Management Of Risk, Steve Brown

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The examination of "Standards and Measures of Success" at the recent Humanitarian Demining Conference, hosted by James Madison University (JMU) demonstrated that there must be fundamental changes in the approach to Mine Action if the global influence of land mines is to be successfully challenged. In addressing the need to measure the effectiveness of Mine Action we are acknowledging that the current situation is untenable, particularly if we are to get anywhere near the eradication of the problem by 2010.

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The Devastating Effects Of Landmines: The Landmine Problem In The Sudan, Dennis Barlow Feb 1999

The Devastating Effects Of Landmines: The Landmine Problem In The Sudan, Dennis Barlow

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Sudan truly illustrates the broad array of horrors that can be visited on a society as a result of landmine-related problems. While we are often haunted by the image of a small child who has experienced the agony of a landmine injury, the cumulative problems caused by landmines typically do not end with the personal, physical, or even mental trauma of an individual. Invariably the net effect of multiple and frequent accidents is to inflict societal trauma, via infrastructure and economic damage, on the country at large. These burdens, shouldered by a country already struggling for survival, can eventually spell …

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Peacetrees Vietnam's Uxo Clearance Training Mission To Quang Tri Province, Roger Hess Feb 1999

Peacetrees Vietnam's Uxo Clearance Training Mission To Quang Tri Province, Roger Hess

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The president of UXB International, Dr. Richmond Dugger, had offered to help out an NGO called PeaceTrees Vietnam with their efforts to clear land mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the former demilitarized zone between what was North & South Vietnam. We would conduct a training course for the Vietnamese with UXB International covering the wages and airfare of two senior Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) employees, and donate five Shonstedt ferrous ordnance detectors.

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An Integrated Global Demining And Development Strategy, Bernd Hoffman Feb 1999

An Integrated Global Demining And Development Strategy, Bernd Hoffman

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) operates as a public service company. The development policy objective is to improve the survival chances of people in countries of the Southern and Eastern Hemisphere, and to stabilize their natural bases of existence. The most important financing organization of the GTZ is the German federal government, i.e. the Federal Ministry for Economic co-operation and Development (BMZ). Within the framework of the federal government’s guidelines and development policy objectives, the GTZ is responsible for the conception, planning and implementation of 2800 projects in 140 partner countries. In addition to federal ministries, the GTZ …

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Opportunities For An Integrated Demining Strategy In Rural Areas, U Weyl Feb 1999

Opportunities For An Integrated Demining Strategy In Rural Areas, U Weyl

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As early as 1993, GTZ was one of the first organizations to recognize the importance of community mine awareness within the framework of mine survey and clearance operations. GTZ also recognized that there needs to be a partnership between the development organization and mine clearance operator. It is this partnership, which is the foundation upon which the IHDD concept has been built, modified and adapted. The CMAD concept has been developed for those communities that are deemed low priority for mine action support. The process of modification and adaptation has been continuous. It has spanned every facet of the concepts, …

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The Operational Implementation Of The International Humanitarian Demining Development Concept, C.J. Pearce Feb 1999

The Operational Implementation Of The International Humanitarian Demining Development Concept, C.J. Pearce

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The International Humanitarian Demining Development (IHHD) concept did not evolve on a haphazard basis. The concept was born out of practical experience in Manica Province, Mozambique during the emergency relief phase between 1993 and 1995. Based on those experiences, and a serious concern that mine clearance was regarded as a purely technical activity with local involvement being relegated to by-stander status, GTZ and Mine-Tech held wide-ranging discussions over a lengthy period before defining the IHDD concept. Subsequently, with funding from the BMZ (German Ministry of Co-operation) two pilot projects were undertaken in Manica and Sofala Provinces, Mozambique. These pilot projects …

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Norwegian People's Aid In Western Sahara: Mine Awareness In A Refugee Setting, Justin Brady Feb 1999

Norwegian People's Aid In Western Sahara: Mine Awareness In A Refugee Setting, Justin Brady

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In September 1997, Norwegian People's Aid began efforts to assist Saharawi refugees living in southwest Algeria to return safely to their country. While the mid-Seventies are best known for the exit of Portuguese colonization from the continent of Africa and the subsequent problems that arose, the exit of Spanish forces from the area of Western Sahara brought its own legacy of war, landmines and UXO. The war saw Morocco, Frente POLISARIO, the Front for the Liberation of Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro, and in the beginning Mauritania as well, battle for control of the former Spanish holding. The …

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United States Interagency Team Visits South Africa, John G. Zavales Feb 1999

United States Interagency Team Visits South Africa, John G. Zavales

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In February 1999, an U.S. interagency team of humanitarian demining experts, including representatives of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, State Department, and U.S. European Command, visited South Africa. The purpose of this visit was to familiarize the team with South African demining research and development (R&D), and operations; and to conduct meetings on possible areas of cooperation between the two countries. This initiative was an outgrowth of the U.S. South Africa Bi-national Commission (BNC), which is chaired by Vice President Al Gore and Deputy President Thabo Mbeki.

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Angola Shows Ottawa Achilles Heel, Joe Lokey Feb 1999

Angola Shows Ottawa Achilles Heel, Joe Lokey

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Landmines are a bad thing. I know that. You know that. Everyone at Ottawa knew that. Even the Angolan Representative who signed the Mine Ban Treaty in Ottawa in December of 1997 knew that. But someone forgot to tell Dr. Jonas Savimbi. Whatever we may think of him, the head of Angola's UNITA (Union for Total Liberation of Angola) liberation group is not out of place in history along with many others intent on being King and overthrowing what they see as a repressive government. Landmines, it seems, are simply a tool in a deadly toolbox.

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An Introduction To Uganda And The World Rehabilitation Fund, Inc., Ted Silver, Wanume Kale Feb 1999

An Introduction To Uganda And The World Rehabilitation Fund, Inc., Ted Silver, Wanume Kale

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This paper will provide background information regarding the recent history and current political situation in Uganda. It will also introduce the reader to the activities of the World Rehabilitation Fund (WRF) in Uganda. WRF is an American private voluntary organization which has been active in assisting the country’s amputee population of some 20,000 individuals.

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"Gardens Of The Devil" A Report From Western Egypt, Dennis Barlow Feb 1999

"Gardens Of The Devil" A Report From Western Egypt, Dennis Barlow

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Sometimes the creation of a new policy or international initiative can produce unexpected results. Such is the case in the desert of Western Egypt where the legacy of mine warfare of World War II warriors is only now being assessed seriously through the focus of current mine action activities. Despite the fact that the great armies of Field Marshals Montgomery and Rommel fought in North Africa almost sixty years ago, the legacy of those surges and counter surges, sieges and counter sieges, is still being felt by the inhabitants and Bedouins who live or travel there.

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