An Innovative Approach To The Mental Health Needs Of Humanitarian Mine Action Personnel,
2021
Boulder Crest Institute for Posttraumatic Growth
An Innovative Approach To The Mental Health Needs Of Humanitarian Mine Action Personnel, Ken Falke, Bret A. Moore Psy.D., Abpp, Richard Tedeschi, Ph.D.
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
In the fields of humanitarian demining and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), physical traumas related to blast and fragmentation injuries receive a great deal of research attention. In contrast, focus on the psychological health and wellness of humanitarian mine action personnel (HMAP) is lacking. Although research on the incidence of mental health disorders among HMAP is extremely limited, compared with the general population, this group likely suffers more from psychiatric conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. HMAP work in a high state of hypervigilance because at any given moment in a demining operation, there is risk of …
Data-Driven Decision-Making In Southeast Asia,
2021
MAG, Mines Advisory Group
Data-Driven Decision-Making In Southeast Asia, Mikael Bold, David Avenell
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Automated management information systems to enhance decision-making abilities are becoming more important today. Funding and resources are scarce, but technological developments are making it possible to conduct sophisticated analyses that will enhance planning and prioritization: doing more with less. Centered around optimization and efficiency, the geographic information system (GIS) tools provided by Esri1 have been crucial in providing MAG (Mines Advisory Group)with decision-making software.
A Virtual Reality Application For The Training Of Deminers,
2021
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, American University of Beirut
A Virtual Reality Application For The Training Of Deminers, Lynn Al Khansa, Elias Bou Saada, Rachid Maalouf, Mohammed Al-Husseini Ph.D., Ali El-Hajj Ph.D., Mohammed Baydoun Ph.D., Hassan Ghaziri Ph.D.
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
As virtual reality (VR) tools continue to improve, more fields are finding ways of implementing the technology to take advantage of training opportunities that reduce costs, alleviate logistical challenges, and more. Where humanitarian deminers must prepare for dangerous work, VR facilitates training that minimizes the danger while giving trainers a level of control over the different conditions of the training and the ability to easily monitor and instruct the user. For this purpose, the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the Beirut Research and Innovation Center (BRIC) developed a VR application for the basic training of deminers, which is called …
Recognizing And Reducing Risks From Ammunition And Explosives,
2021
Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD)
Recognizing And Reducing Risks From Ammunition And Explosives, Martina Salini, Samuel Paunila
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) first engaged in the stockpile management of conventional ammunition in 2013 and has since developed in-house technical, operational, and strategic capabilities for ammunition through-life management. The GICHD is an active supporter of the ammunition management community of practice, and has authored and contributed to articles on this topic, including raising awareness of ammunition safety and security concepts.1 The GICHD also collaborates with the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR) at James Madison University by jointly managing the Collaborative Ordnance Database Repository (CORD). This article discusses ammunition and explosives management from …
First Steps To Limiting Conflict Pollution In Central Vietnam,
2021
Golden West Humanitarian Foundation
First Steps To Limiting Conflict Pollution In Central Vietnam, Allan R. Vosburgh
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Awareness and concern are growing worldwide regarding pollution resulting from conflicts. In Vietnam, decades of wars have left a legacy of contaminated land and increasingly polluted water. Golden West Humanitarian Foundation (Golden West) believes future success in eliminating explosive remnants of war (ERW) will depend on highly-skilled, dedicated Vietnamese technicians who can apply training, tools, and techniques that mitigate ERW without unnecessarily adding new contaminants to the environment. Open detonations always contribute steel fragments and particles of explosive residue in the ground along with smoke and detonation products in the air. Golden West is helping to develop facilities, technology, and …
The Elusive “Just Enough”: Re-Inventing Explosive Hazard Clearance Management In Iraq,
2021
United Nations Mine Action Service
The Elusive “Just Enough”: Re-Inventing Explosive Hazard Clearance Management In Iraq, Mark Wilkinson Ph.D.
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The Government of Iraq viewed rehabilitation of infrastructure contaminated with explosives during the conflict with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) as a prereqisite to socioeconomic recovery and political stability, which, in turn, established a need for the mine action community to deploy qualified, certified clearance teams as quickly as possible. While these teams could deploy quickly, their reliance on international staff and their associated costs attributable to security and other factors introduced a high overhead business model that became an accepted standard during a first clearance phase from 2015 to 2019, despite the understanding that this …
Measuring Explosive Munitions Use With Open-Source Data: A New Tool For Enhancing Humanitarian Mine Action,
2021
Humanitarian Researcher
Measuring Explosive Munitions Use With Open-Source Data: A New Tool For Enhancing Humanitarian Mine Action, Jonathan Robinson, Christoph Baade
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Since 2011, there has been widespread use of explosive weapons—including conventional weapons, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and landmines—by all sides in the Syrian conflict.1 As is known from other contexts, a proportion of these either fail to detonate, becoming unexploded ordnance (UXO), or are abandoned by combatants to become abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO).2 Long after conflicts have ended, these explosive remnants of war (ERW) endure as multi-generational threats to a community’s population and future development.3
Managing Risk Through Transparency And Cooperation: Improving Lebanon’S Pssm Capacity,
2021
MAG, Mines Advisory Group
Managing Risk Through Transparency And Cooperation: Improving Lebanon’S Pssm Capacity, Jamie Mcghee
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Weapons and ammunition management (WAM) is a global issue in which nations are responsible for the physical security and stockpile management (PSSM) of weapons and ammunition to help mitigate weapons diversion and proliferation, and to prevent against an unplanned explosions at munitions sites (UEMS). Although in most instances preventable, UEMS incidents have increased, leading to significant loss of life, life-changing injuries to innocent civilians, and damage to property.¹
Remote Sensing And Artificial Intelligence In The Mine Action Sector,
2021
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Remote Sensing And Artificial Intelligence In The Mine Action Sector, Martin Jebens, Rob White
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Remote sensing and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are included in discussions of how technology and innovation can improve humanitarian action and international peacekeeping. These technologies have the potential to improve the capacity to assess needs and to monitor changes on the ground and can be useful for both the mine action (MA) and broader humanitarian sectors. Even though remote sensing and AI are not the silver bullet in MA and come with several challenges (e.g., operational and data protection), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) believe that the integration …
How To Implement Drones And Machine Learning To Reduce Time, Costs, And Dangers Associated With Landmine Detection,
2021
Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University
How To Implement Drones And Machine Learning To Reduce Time, Costs, And Dangers Associated With Landmine Detection, Jasper Baur, Gabriel Steinberg, Alex Nikulin Ph.D., Kenneth Chiu Ph.D., Timothy De Smet Ph.D.
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Two rapidly emerging technologies revolutionizing scientific problem solving are unpiloted aerial systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, and deep learning algorithms.1 Our study combines these two technologies to provide a powerful auxiliary tool for scatterable landmine detection. These munitions are traditionally challenging for clearance operations due to their wide area of impact upon deployment, small size, and random minefield orientation. Our past work focused on developing a reliable UAS capable of detecting and identifying individual elements of PFM-1 minefields to rapidly assess wide areas for landmine contamination, minefield orientation, and possible minefield overlap. In our most recent proof-of-concept …
Assisting Landmine Survivors In Yemen,
2021
Marshall Legacy Institute
Assisting Landmine Survivors In Yemen, Elise Becker, Tamara Klingsheim
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Over the past ten years, the Marshall Legacy Institute’s (MLI) Mine Victim’s Assistance Program (MVA) in Yemen has helped over 800 male, female, and child landmine survivors in Yemen. MLI and our in-country program partner have worked to identify survivors and provide them with the assistance they require, including prosthetic services, vocational training, and self-employment opportunities, to improve their lives and increase their prospects for a brighter future.
Key Performance Indicators (Kpis) For Land Release And Stockpile Destruction Operations—Notes On A New Technical Note For Mine Action,
2021
Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining
Key Performance Indicators (Kpis) For Land Release And Stockpile Destruction Operations—Notes On A New Technical Note For Mine Action, Roly Evans, David Hewitson
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
In March 2021 the International Mine Action Standards Review Board (IMAS RB) adopted by consensus a new Technical Note for Mine Action (TNMA): Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Land Release and Stockpile Destruction Operations.¹ The TNMA detailed new Common Counting Rules for land release outputs, identified elements of Context Capture at points of data entry and underlined the need for operational staff to prioritize the collection of relevant good quality data. The purpose of this article is to set out why the TNMA was developed and explain certain aspects of its content, particularly those where prolonged debate was necessary in …
Issue 25.1 Endnotes,
2021
James Madison University
Issue 25.1 Endnotes, Cisr Jmu
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Issue 25.1 Endnotes
Analysis Of Cruise Ship Mass Rescue Operation In The East China Sea : Take Shanghai Search And Rescue Region As An Example,
2021
World Maritime University
Analysis Of Cruise Ship Mass Rescue Operation In The East China Sea : Take Shanghai Search And Rescue Region As An Example, Xun Cao
Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)
No abstract provided.
Crisis Management Lessons From The Clinton Administration's Implementation Of Presidential Decision Directive 56,
2021
US Army War College
Crisis Management Lessons From The Clinton Administration's Implementation Of Presidential Decision Directive 56, Leonard R. Hawley
The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters
Drawing on personal experience, the author asks what the current administration can learn from the Clinton administration’s implementation of Presidential Decision Directive 56, examines the real-world application of the directive during the Clinton administration and the pitfalls of its agency-centric successor during the Bush administration, and identifies recurring problems and best practices for successfully responding to current global crises.
Book Reviews,
2021
US Army War College
Book Reviews, Usawc Press
The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters
No abstract provided.
The Evolution Of Hybrid Warfare: Implications For Strategy And The Military Profession,
2021
US Army War College
The Evolution Of Hybrid Warfare: Implications For Strategy And The Military Profession, Ilmari Käihkö
The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters
The concept of hybrid war has evolved from operational-level use of military means and methods in war toward strategic-level use of nonmilitary means in a gray zone below the threshold of war. This article considers this evolution and its implications for strategy and the military profession by contrasting past and current use of the hybrid war concept and raising critical questions for policy and military practitioners.
The Battalion Commander Effect,
2021
US Army War College
The Battalion Commander Effect, Everett Spain, Gautam Mukunda, Archie Bates
The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters
Statistical evidence suggests Army battalion commanders are significant determinants of the retention of their lieutenants—especially high-potential lieutenants. Further, this so-called Battalion Commander Effect should be included in brigadier general promotion board assessments and used to inform officer professional military education curricula.
Hope Versus Reality: The Efficacy Of Using Us Military Aid To Improve Human Rights In Egypt,
2021
US Army War College
Hope Versus Reality: The Efficacy Of Using Us Military Aid To Improve Human Rights In Egypt, Gregory L. Aftandilian
The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters
Using US military aid as a lever to achieve human rights reforms has proven only marginally effective. This article examines the approaches employed by the Obama and Trump administrations to US military aid to Egypt and proposes practical steps that can be taken by policymakers and the military personnel on the ground to advance US human rights values.
Great (Soft) Power Competition: Us And Chinese Efforts In Global Health Engagement,
2021
US Army War College
Great (Soft) Power Competition: Us And Chinese Efforts In Global Health Engagement, Michael W. Wissemann
The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters
Global health engagement, an underutilized strategy rooted in the strengths of soft power persuasion, can lead to more military-to-military cooperation training, help establish relationships that can be relied on when crises develop, stabilize fragile states, and deny violent extremist organizations space for recruiting and operations. Examining Chinese efforts worldwide to curry favor and influence and the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this article shows health as a medium is a very compelling and advantageous whole-of-government approach to national security policy concerns.
