U.S. Contributions Country Programs

 Organization Profiles 

August 2013 FY2012

To Walk The Earth 

In Safety

United States Department of State | Bureau of Political-Military Affairs

Documenting the United States’20Year Commitment to Conventional Weapons Destruction
2013 marks the 20th anniversary of the United States’ 

coordinated assistance to humanitarian mine action 

and conventional weapons destruction programs. To 

date the U.S. has invested more than $2 billion to ensure that countless communities worldwide may “walk 

the Earth in safety.”

Illustration courtesy of CISR. 

Written, Edited, Designed, and Produced by the 

Center for International Stabilization and Recovery 

at James Madison University. 

(http://cisr.jmu.edu)

on the coverS

Female deminers prepare for work in Sri Lanka. 

Sri Lanka is contaminated by landmines and explosive remnants of war from over three decades 

of armed conflict. From FY2002–FY2012 the U.S. 

has invested more than $35 million in conventional weapons destruction programs in Sri Lanka.

Photo courtesy of Sean Sutton/MAG.

To help save natural resources and protect our environment, 

this edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety was printed on 

30-percent post-consumer-waste recycled paper, using 

vegetable-based inks.

Printed by McClung Companies 

Waynesboro, VA USA

Table of Contents

General Information

20 Years of U.S. Commitment to CWD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Conventional Weapons Destruction Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

FY2012 Grantees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

List of Common Acronyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

FY2012 Funding Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

U.S. Government Interagency Partners

CDC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

MANPADS Task Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

PM/WRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 

USAID. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

DTRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

HD R&D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 

HDTC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Implementation Tools & Fora

IMAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 

IMSMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 

QRF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

RASR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

SMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Angola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Democratic Republic of the Congo . . . . . 10

Mozambique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Somalia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

South Sudan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Zimbabwe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

More Support in Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Africa 9

Albania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Armenia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Azerbaijan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Bosnia and Herzegovina . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Bulgaria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Croatia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Kosovo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Montenegro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Serbia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Ukraine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Europe 31

Afghanistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Burma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Cambodia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Kyrgyzstan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Laos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Palau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Solomon Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Sri Lanka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Tajikistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Thailand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Vietnam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

More Support in Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Asia 19

Latin America 41

Chile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Colombia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Ecuador . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Peru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Regional SA/LW and PSSM Programs . . . . 46

150 135 120 0 15 

105 90 75 60 45 30 15

A special thank you to Jim Lawrence, former director 

of the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement 

and founder of the Public-Private Partnership 

Program, for his dedication and commitment to making a difference through his career in public service.

Middle East/ 

N. Africa 

Iraq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Jordan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Lebanon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Libya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Yemen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Palestinian Territories . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

49
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TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 3

A Message From Acting Assistant Secretary Thomas Kelly

Thomas Kelly

Acting Assistant Secretary

U.S. Department of State

Bureau of Political-Military Affairs

In 2013, we celebrate 20 years of U.S. Government agencies working together to lead the international 

donor community in supporting the clearance of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), as well as 

the destruction of at-risk and unsecured weapons and munitions. The United States first became involved in 

humanitarian demining in 1988 by sending a team to assess the landmine situation in Afghanistan. In 1993, 

U.S. assistance took an important step forward when the Department of State (DOS), Department of Defense 

(DOD), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) formed an interagency partnership to 

coordinate U.S. humanitarian demining programs globally. U.S. efforts have helped numerous countries reduce 

the impact of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), contributed to a dramatic reduction in the worldwide 

annual casualty rate from these threats, allowed refugees and internally displaced persons to return safely to their 

homes, enhanced the political and economic stability of nations affected by landmines, and increased international security.

This edition of our annual report, To Walk the Earth in Safety, examines how far we have come in two decades of sustained support for 

humanitarian mine action (HMA) and details the programs and partnerships that comprise the U.S. Conventional Weapons Destruction 

(CWD) Program, which includes HMA. Since 1993, the U.S. has contributed over $2 billion to more than 90 countries around the world 

to reduce the harmful worldwide effects of at-risk, illicitly proliferated, and indiscriminately used conventional weapons of war.

In Fiscal Year 2012 (FY2012), DOS provided more than $149 million in CWD assistance to 35 countries, helping post-conflict 

communities and countries recover and rebuild. In 2012 we laid the groundwork for addressing emergent humanitarian and security 

challenges in Syria and Burma, and continued such efforts in Libya:

•	 Since 2011, in coordination with the government of Libya and other partner nations and organizations, the United States has committed 

approximately $40 million in targeted technical assistance to mitigate threats from unsecured weapons, including man-portable airdefense systems (MANPADS), throughout Libya. We are also building Libya’s independent capacity to carry on this vital work after the 

completion of our assistance program.

•	 In Syria, we have been coordinating plans with more than two dozen international nongovernmental organizations to prepare for 

emergency CWD activities when conditions permit. As soon as safely possible and we are requested to do so, we will deploy rapid 

response UXO experts to provide humanitarian support, mitigate potential proliferation threats and ERW hazards, and secure loose 

conventional weapons, including MANPADS. Currently, we fund ERW risk education projects for displaced Syrians in Jordan and Iraq.

•	 In Burma, DOS is working in concert with other parts of the U.S. Government to make HMA an important component of our broader 

development and assistance efforts, while helping to strengthen the ongoing peace process in the country. We currently provide funding 

for landmine survivors assistance and risk education in Burma for the most vulnerable populations. In FY2013 we will work closely with 

USAID to expand these programs.

Our increasing engagement in the Pacific has cleared World War II-era UXO in Palau, the Solomon Islands, and other Pacific nations. 

We are deepening our cooperation with DOD to clear UXO and build local capacity in the region. Our combined efforts will mitigate the 

threat that 70-year-old, deteriorating munitions pose to local populations and to the sensitive ecosystems of Pacific island nations.

Looking back on 2012, we saw several significant milestones reached. In the Balkans, we completed two significant UXO clean-up 

projects resulting from unplanned explosions in 2008 at munitions depots in Gërdec, Albania, and Chelopechene, Bulgaria. After achieving 

significant progress in mine clearance in the Balkans, we are increasingly focused on helping countries reduce their stockpiles of excess or 

obsolete small arms and light weapons and ammunition, which pose an even greater threat than landmines in that region.

Also in 2012, we continued collaborating with private-sector partners, including many of the nearly 70 organizations in our PublicPrivate Partnership Program, leveraging their ingenuity, innovation, and core business resources to extend the reach of U.S. funding for 

CWD. These partnerships help maximize the impact of our efforts to raise awareness, encourage grassroots participation, and engage new 

resources to solve these challenges.

As we reflect upon two decades of U.S. efforts to help communities rebuild and move forward after conflict, I invite you to read this report 

and learn more about how the United States continues to clear a path to a safer world. I extend my appreciation to the U.S. Congress and 

American taxpayers who support our efforts to help everyone “to walk the Earth in safety.”

30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 150 165 180

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4 TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY

Costa Rica declares 

that it is mine-free

2002

Nicaragua announces it is mine impact-free 

and Central America officially becomes a 

mine impact-free region

2010

Guatemala concludes its mine 

and UXO clearance program

2005 Honduras announces that it has completed 

clearance of landmines on its territory

2004

The U.S. begins assistance to 

Laos, a country more heavily 

impacted by unexploded 

ordnance (UXO) than landmines

QRDF’s first 

deployment to 

Sri Lanka

USAID sponsors the 

first comprehensive

workshop on “Appropriate 

Prosthetic Technologies for 

Developing Countries”

U.S. DOD releases the first 

edition of ORDATA: The 

International Deminers Guide 

to Unexploded Ordnance 

(UXO) Identification, Recovery 

and Disposal to the public in 

CD-ROM format

Congress appropriates the first $28 million 

to be used as matching funds for the 

International Trust Fund for Demining and 

Victim Assistance to assist mine-affected 

countries in the Balkans

U.S. DOS establishes the Office of Humanitarian 

Demining Programs in its Bureau of PoliticalMilitary Affairs (PM/HDP)

The first-ever Landmine Impact 

Survey in a mine-affected 

country is completed in Yemen—

the United States is one of the 

project’s donors

The U.S. establishes its SA/LW 

reduction program in the U.S. DOS 

Bureau of Political-Military Affairs

PM/HDP establishes the Quick 

Reaction Demining Force (QRDF)

Cumulative total of 

USAID Leahy War Victims 

Fund assistance exceeds 

$100 million

U.S. DOS establishes the Office of 

Weapons Removal and Abatement 

(PM/WRA), consolidating PM/HDP, 

the Office of Mine Action Initiatives 

and Partnerships, and the SA/LW 

program into one office

U.S. DOS, supported by U.S. DOD 

and in coordination with the 

U.S. Department of Homeland 

Security, begins to lead the 

U.S. Government’s coordinated 

international efforts to reduce the 

threat from MANPADS

1994

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

 Interagency U.S. 

Humanitarian Demining 

Program established

1993

U.S. Army 

begins research 

and development of 

new humanitarian 

demining techniques

U.S. DOD 

establishes the 

Humanitarian Demining 

Training Center

1996

1995 2003

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Bill Clinton 

becomes U.S. 

President South Africa 

holds its first 

multi-racial 

elections

The Kosovo 

War begins

First World 

Trade Center 

bombing

Rwandan

genocide

occurs

Peace treaty 

 signed between Bosnia 

and Herzegovina, 

Croatia, and Serbia 

and Montenegro 

First 

Chechen 

War ends

Britain returns 

Hong Kong to 

China

Panama 

assumes 

control of the 

Canal Zone

Israel withdraws 

troops from 

Lebanon

USS Cole 

attacked in Yemen

George W. Bush 

becomes U.S. 

President

September 11 terrorist attacks on 

the United States

Civil war 

in Sierra 

Leone ends

U.S. military 

operations in 

Afghanistan 

begin

U.S. military 

operations in 

Iraq begin

Civil war in 

Angola ends

Bill Clinton 

begins his 

second term as 

U.S. President

I

n October 1993 the United States formally established the U.S. Humanitarian Demining Program (HDP), an 

interagency effort of the Department of State (DOS), Department of Defense (DOD), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide a full range of assistance to mine-affected countries. In the intervening 20 years, the United States has broadened its efforts related to protecting civilians into a robust Conventional 

Weapons Destruction (CWD) program that includes not only humanitarian mine action (HMA) but also activities 

to reduce illicit, excess and other at-risk small arms and light weapons (SA/LW), conventional munitions, and manportable air-defense systems (MANPADS).

20 Years 

Humanitarian Mine Action and

20 Years of United 

Major Political Events 1993–2013:
TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 5

Albania declares itself mine-free

2009

Macedonia declares all mined 

areas have been cleared

2006

Montenegro states it is 

cleared of mines

2007

Tunisia achieves 

mine impact-free 

status

2009

Swaziland declares completion 

of its landmine clearance

2007

2013

1993

H

*

umanitarian Mine Action*

C

onventional Weapons Destru

c

t

ion

Djibouti is the first African country 

to declare itself free from the 

humanitarian impact of landmines

2004

Jordan declares it has 

cleared all known minefields 

in its territory

2011

2009

Rwanda achieves mine 

impact-free status

2011

Burundi declares itself 

mine-free 

2009

Zambia achieves mine 

impact-free status

2009

Namibia achieves 

mine impact-free 

status

The U.S. helps Iraq establish 

its National Mine Action 

Authority

Burma HMA 

program begins

The U.S. becomes the lead 

nation of the NATO Partnership 

for Peace (PfP) Trust Fund 

Project to destroy munitions, 

SA/LW, and MANPADS in Ukraine—

the largest project of its kind

The U.S. interagency HMA 

program surpasses $1 billion in 

assistance since 1993

SA/LW destroyed 

worldwide with U.S. 

assistance exceeds one 

million weapons

PM/WRA focuses on physical security 

and stockpile issues and releases 

the “Dangerous Depots” fact sheet, 

highlighting the humanitarian impact 

of catastrophic explosions at munitions 

storage sites, the need for proper 

stockpile maintenance, and destruction 

of excess and/or obsolete munitions

PM/WRA holds the first 

Workshop of Regional 

Approaches to Stockpile 

Reduction in Southeast Europe 

to discuss plans for stockpile 

management and reduction

Phase I of the U.S.-led 

NATO PfP Trust Fund 

Project in Ukraine is 

completed, and the 

U.S. agrees to continue 

to lead the project for 

phase II

Since 2003, U.S. efforts reduced 

over 33,000 excess, looselysecured, illicitly held, or otherwise 

at-risk MANPADS in 38 countries, 

and U.S. interagency CWD funding 

surpasses $2 billion in assistance 

since 1993

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010 2012

2013

20 YEARS OF U.S. CONVENTIONAL 

WEAPONS DESTRUCTION 

INITIATIVES

2014

2011

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

George W. 

Bush begins his 

second term as 

U.S. President

Earthquake near 

Sumatra triggers 

tsunamis killing 

over 300,000

Syrian troops 

withdraw from Lebanon

Serbia and 

Montenegro 

become 

independent 

states

Civil war in 

the Ivory 

Coast ends

Barack Obama 

becomes U.S. 

President

Kosovo declares 

independence 

from Serbia Civil war in Sri 

Lanka ends

Anti-government 

campaigns break out 

in Bahrain, Egypt, 

Libya, Syria, and 

Yemen

Anti-government 

campaign breaks 

out in Tunisia

Conflict in 

Libya ends

South Sudan 

is formed

Barack Obama 

begins his 

second term as 

U.S. President

States’ Commitment to

Conventional Weapons Destruction

See page 60 for a list of common acronyms
6 TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY

Landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) continue to cause casualties and hinder essential recovery efforts long after armed conflict ceases. Additionally, the 

illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SA/LW) has 

the potential to fuel new conflicts, and poorly maintained stockpiles of ammunition pose severe and imminent danger to nearby 

civilian communities. 

In 2013, the United States marks 20 years of a collaborative 

multi-agency effort that has grown from a humanitarian demining 

program to encompass our comprehensive conventional weapons 

destruction (CWD) programs, providing assistance to help communities and nations around the world overcome threats not only 

from landmines and ERW but also at-risk weapons and ordnance. 

Making the World Safer

In 1993, the United States established the Demining Assistance 

Program and the Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Demining 

and Landmine Control, initiating a coordinated interagency aid 

effort to support international humanitarian mine action (HMA). 

Though the United States first provided HMA assistance in 1988, a 

coordinated and sustained U.S. Government effort began with this 

IWG. Over the past two decades, the U.S. approach to mine action 

has expanded to meet related needs in post-conflict environments, 

such as threats from ERW and at-risk SA/LW, including manportable air-defense systems (MANPADS). 

The United States remains the world’s largest donor supporting 

HMA. Additionally, the United States is a leader in global efforts 

to combat illicit trafficking of SA/LW. To enhance global security 

and weapons control, the United States provides physical security 

and stockpile management (PSSM) training and assessments, 

assists many countries to destroy excess weapons and ordnance, 

and supports international and regional efforts to mark and trace 

SA/LW. Since 1993, the United States has invested more than $2 

billion in CWD programs in over 90 countries. 

In cooperation with partners from around the globe, U.S. efforts have helped 15 countries become free from the humanitarian 

impact of landmines and contributed to a dramatic reduction in 

the world’s annual mine casualty rate. The United States has assisted states to secure their stockpiles and safely destroy weapons 

and ammunition that are no longer serviceable or required. These 

programs also support medical rehabilitation and vocational training for landmine and ERW survivors, community outreach and 

mine risk education, and research and development efforts in new 

clearance and CWD technologies.

A Collaborative Effort

Interagency collaboration has been essential to the success of U.S. CWD efforts. The Office of Weapons Removal and 

Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Bureau of 

Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA), the Department of Defense (DOD), the U.S. Agency for International Development 

(USAID), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

(CDC) work together and in partnership with private and nongovernmental organizations to implement programs that address 

a broad range of CWD threats. 

PM/WRA provides financial assistance for survey, clearance, 

risk education, stockpile destruction, and stockpile security. 

USAID takes the lead on survivor assistance specifically working 

to improve the health, integration, and mobility of disabled civilian 

THE UNITED STATES’ COMMITMENT TO

CONVENTIONAL 

WEAPONS 

DESTRUCTION

A U.S.-funded MAG deminer uses a U.S. DOD Research and Development 

Night Vision and Electronic Sensor Directorate, or NVESD, dual-purpose mine 

detector in Luena, Moxico, Angola.

Photo courtesy of Darren Manning, PM/WRA, U.S. Dept. of State.
TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 7

conflict survivors. The International Emergency and Refugee 

Health Branch of the CDC provides support to public health 

projects, mine risk education programs, and survivor assistance 

efforts. Several DOD entities contribute invaluable training and 

technical expertise on a range of CWD issues. 

DOD’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) provides assessments and training on PSSM programs around the 

world. Supported by the Humanitarian Demining Training 

Center, DOD’s Combatant Commands train and equip host nation deminers, stockpile managers, and ammunition handlers. 

In addition, the DOD Humanitarian Demining Research and 

Development Program focuses on technologies to improve the 

efficiency and safety of HMA programs.

Coordinating efforts among the agencies underlies our success. 

In one country, PM/WRA might support sustainment of national 

deminers that DOD trained and equipped, while USAID addresses the rehabilitation needs of survivors. In another DTRA might 

provide technical expertise for assessing a national stockpile, followed by funding from PM/WRA for PSSM or weapons destruction. This collaboration increases program effectiveness, sustainability, and impact. 

In the hands of terrorists, criminals, or other non-state actors, 

the multifaceted threat MANPADS pose to passenger air travel, 

the commercial aviation industry, and military aircraft around the 

world demands even closer interagency coordination. In 2007 the 

United States established an Interagency MANPADS Task Force 

to increase the effectiveness of U.S. efforts to reduce the global 

threat of MANPADS. Chaired by DOS, the Task Force coordinates 

the related efforts of DOS, DOD, the Department of Homeland 

Security, and other relevant federal agencies and organizations. 

Results

In summary, over the last 20 years, the U.S. CWD program has 

operated in more than 90 countries and accomplished the following:

•	 Donated over $2 billion to CWD efforts, mostly for HMA

•	 Disposed of over 33,000 MANPADS since 2003

•	 Destroyed over 1.6 million SA/LW and over 90,000 tons of 

ordnance in 38 countries

•	 Provided emergency assistance to support the removal or 

mitigation of conventional weapons, landmines, and other ERW 

in more than 18 countries 

•	 Provided assistive devices and other rehabilitation services to 

over 250,000 people in 35 countries

U.S. CWD programs restore peace, transform lives and 

communities, and enhance national security. Reflecting on past 

accomplishments and lessons learned while also looking ahead, the 

United States remains committed to ensuring that all may be able 

“to walk the Earth in safety.”

In 2011 Macedonia’s Ministry of Defense (MOD) invited the United States to send an inter-agency team from the Defense 

Ammunition Center, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Golden West Humanitarian Foundation, U.S. DOD Humanitarian Demining 

Research and Development Program, U.S. DOS Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, and the U.S. Embassy in Skopje to 

assess the state of Macedonia’s munitions depots and their contents and calculate what humanitarian impact would result if 

those depots experienced catastrophic explosions. The findings were then provided at no cost to the Macedonian MOD. 

Photo courtesy of John Stevens, PM/WRA, U.S. Dept. of State.
South 

Sudan

Somalia

Angola

Democratic

Republic of 

the Congo

Mozambique

Zimbabwe

Central African 

Republic

Chad Eritrea

Ethiopia

Guinea-Bissau

Republic of 

the Congo

Kenya

Lesotho

Liberia

Mauritania

Nigeria

Senegal

Sierra Leone

Sudan

Uganda

Benin

Burundi

São Tomé 

and

Príncipe

Tanzania

Guinea

Togo

Tunisia

Djibouti

Rwanda

Zambia

Swaziland

Total U.S. Conventional Weapons Destruction 

Funding In Africa From All U.S. Agencies, 1993–2012 

$322,925,000

Angola 30.48%

Benin 0.004%

Burundi 0.73%

Central African Republic 0.01%

Chad 3.47%

Congo, Democratic Republic of 2.71%

Congo, Republic of the 0.49%

Djibouti 0.95%

Eritrea 5.61%

Ethiopia 4.88%

Guinea 0.03%

Kenya 0.74% Guinea-Bissau 2.32%

Lesotho 0.005%

Liberia 1.53%

Mauritania 2.11%

Mozambique 15.56%

Namibia 2.78%

Nigeria 0.45%

Rwanda 3.93%

São Tomé/Príncipe 0.02%

Senegal 1.01%

Sierra Leone 0.54%

Somalia 4.66%

South Sudan 1.32%

Sudan 9.46%

Swaziland 0.39%

Tanzania 0.66%

Uganda 0.33%

Zambia 0.77%

Zimbabwe 2.04%

Togo 0.01%

Namibia

Received U.S. CWD support in FY2012

Received support in the past

Mine impact-free with U.S. assistance

Percentage of 

total regional 

funding per 

country
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TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 9

The world’s second largest continent, Africa contains 54 diverse 

nations, nine territories, and three de facto states. According 

to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), 

20 new democracies have emerged in sub-Saharan Africa since 1989. 

However, despite reforms and abundant resources, USAID reports that 

three-fourths of Africa’s population lives in poverty. Much of Africa is 

recovering from decades of conflicts that have displaced, impoverished, injured, and killed millions. These conflicts have also resulted in 

extensive contamination from explosive remnants of war, which hinder 

economic and social development. Additionally, the illicit proliferation 

of small arms and light weapons (SA/LW) has heightened tensions and increased violent crime throughout the continent. Since 

1993, U.S. conventional weapons destruction programs have provided more than $322 million for mine clearance, the destruction of SA/LW, and improved security and safety of remaining stockpiles in a total of 31 countries in the region. Nigeria and 

Burundi declared themselves to be mine-free in late 2011, while Uganda declared itself mine impact-free in 2012.

A HALO survey team talks with community members in Somalia. 

Photo courtesy of The HALO Trust.

Africa

Somalia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

South Sudan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Zimbabwe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Angola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Congo, Democratic Republic of the . . . .10

Mozambique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

More Support in Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

1999: 

486 casualties 

2011: 

89 casualties

CASE STUDY: ANGOLA

Between 1999 and 2011 U.S. CWD programs have contributed 

to an 81.7% reduction in reported landmine and ERW 

casualties in Angola. This highlights the importance of the 

United States’ 20-year commitment to CWD in Africa. 

Casualty data courtesy of the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor.

81.7% reduction
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•	 The HALO Trust (HALO) continued operations in four 

provinces (Benguela, Bie, Huambo, and Kwando Kubango), 

including clearance of roads, survey of SHAs, UXO spot 

tasks, post-clearance surveys, and MRE. A second grant from 

PM/WRA supports the destruction of excess, unstable, and 

poorly secured SA/LW and munitions throughout the country. 

•	 MAG (Mines Advisory Group) continued demining efforts in 

Moxico province, including clearance of roads, survey of SHAs, 

UXO spot tasks, post-clearance surveys, and MRE. 

•	 Norwegian People’s Aid continued clearance in three provinces 

(Malanje, Uige, and Zaire), including clearance of roads, survey 

of SHAs, UXO spot tasks, post-clearance surveys, and MRE. 

The U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian Demining 

Research and Development (HD R&D) Program, in partnership 

with HALO, continued a technology evaluation of the Rotary 

Mine Comb (RMC). The RMC’s intermeshing tines extricate 

large buried objects, including anti-tank (AT) mines, from the soil 

and push them to the side of the host vehicle’s path. The RMC 

locates mines that are otherwise undetectable on roads that, 

though previously cleared by heavy detonation trailers, persist in 

having AT mine accidents. Since 2008, HALO has cleared 45 

kilometers (28 miles) of road and 51 low-metal AT mines that 

were undetectable by metal detectors. While the progress seems 

modest, the impact is substantial, considering that the alternative is 

complete hand excavation of the entire road. The completed, minefree road will reconnect more than 200,000 people in southeast 

Kwando Kubango province with the rest of Angola. The HD R&D 

Program also continued the evaluation of a JCB Loadall with 

HALO. Total assistance is valued at $850,000.

Democratic Republic 

of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has experienced 

many years of war as non-state actors (NSA) and neighboring 

countries vied for political and economic power. These conflicts 

killed three to five million Congolese and left the countryside 

littered with explosive remnants of war (ERW) and landmines. 

While the scale of conflict in DRC has been increasingly limited 

to its eastern provinces, the black market in small arms and light 

weapons (SA/LW) has yet to abate significantly. NSAs in these 

areas continue to terrorize Congolese civilians and occasionally 

conduct small-scale cross-border operations against neighboring 

countries. Porous borders between Burundi, DRC, Rwanda, 

and Uganda facilitate arms smuggling to various conflicts, and 

instances of external state support to Congolese rebels continued 

in 2012. As a result of these active and latent conflicts, SA/LW 

trafficking and ERW contamination pose significant challenges to 

peacebuilding and stability in DRC. 

Since FY2006, the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement 

in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military 

Affairs (PM/WRA) has invested $6,848,462 in DRC, with 

$750,000 provided to MAG (Mines Advisory Group) to carry out 

Angola

Three decades of internal conflict have left Angola the most 

mine-impacted country in Africa; all 18 provinces are contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). The 2007 

Angola Landmine Impact Survey identified mine/ERW contamination in 1,968 localities, affecting approximately 2.4 million people. Additionally, thousands of refugees continue to be resettled 

in mine-affected areas in the Moxico province. The Landmine and 

Cluster Munition Monitor identified 2,823 mine/ERW casualties 

from 2000 through 2011, though total casualty estimates range 

from 23,000 to 80,000. Angola also faces an ongoing threat from 

small arms and light weapons (SA/LW). Angola estimates that 

hundreds of thousands of SA/LW are in civilian hands and that 

even more remain in poorly secured government stockpiles. 

From FY1993 to FY2012 the United States invested 

$97,589,076 in Angola, of which $80,204,076 was from the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department 

of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA). This 

funding supported projects that cleared and safely disposed of 

hundreds of thousands of landmines and unexploded ordnance 

(UXO); improved the lives of hundreds of victims affected by 

landmine/UXO accidents; increased access to thousands of acres 

of previously contaminated land and thousands of miles of roads; 

destroyed 100,000 SA/LW and more than 1,500 tons of unstable, 

excess, and poorly secured munitions; and developed Angola’s 

conventional weapons destruction (CWD) capacity.

In FY2012 PM/WRA provided $8,675,076 to Angola 

for CWD programs that cleared landmines and UXO from 

contaminated land, provided mine risk education (MRE), and 

destroyed excess, unsecure, and unstable SA/LW and munitions 

from the country’s stockpiles. Funding supported these ongoing 

humanitarian demining and related activities:

•	 DanChurchAid continued demining in the Moxico province, 

including clearance of roads, survey of suspected hazardous areas 

(SHA), UXO spot tasks, post-clearance surveys, and MRE. 

Children drinking water from a well at the Lumege-Canjamba 

primary school in Angola. The area around the school was 

contaminated with landmines during Angola’s long civil war, 

preventing many children from coming to school and limiting the movement of those who did. MAG (Mines Advisory 

Group) cleared the area of mines and other remnants of war.

Photo courtesy of MAG/J.B. Russell.
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conventional weapons destruction programs in FY2012. This grant 

to MAG and prior support allowed for the destruction of more 

than 132,000 SA/LW, approximately 850 tons of munitions, 245 

anti-tank mines, 2,007 anti-personnel mines, and 12 man-portable 

air-defense systems (MANPADS); improved host nation’s physical 

security and stockpile management (PSSM); and supported the 

DRC government’s still-limited capacity to mark and trace all 

state-owned weapons. 

In September 2009 DRC requested assistance from U.S. 

Africa Command (USAFRICOM) to help reestablish a mine 

action company in Kisangani, DRC. This unit, a company of 

engineers in the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique 

du Congo (Armed Forces of DRC or FARDC), was previously 

trained by the Belgian Army in 2002. Two missions were 

conducted in 2009 to establish a baseline and evaluate personnel 

knowledge base and ability, and in 2010 four missions were 

completed. USAFRICOM conducted two missions in FY2012 

and is planning one mission in Kisangani for FY2013. As the 

FARDC engineers are operating independently, USAFRICOM 

will conduct yearly assessment visits in Kisangani. Total 

USAFRICOM support in FY2012 was $233,000.

Mozambique 

Mozambique’s landmine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) 

contamination was once one of the most severe in the world, a 

legacy from 30 years of conflict that ended in 1992. Almost two 

decades of humanitarian demining has significantly reduced the 

country’s mine contamination. As of October 2012, Mozambique’s 

Instituto Nacional de Desminagem (National Institute for Demining 

or IND) reported that 11.6 million square meters (4.5 square miles) 

of land remains contaminated, to be cleared in 265 remaining 

tasks. Mozambique plans to have all internally mined areas cleared 

of known mines by March 2014, with only the MozambiqueZimbabwe border minefields left to clear. 

From FY1993 to FY2012 the United States invested $49,617,000 

in Mozambique for the clearance and safe disposal of mines and 

unexploded ordnance (UXO), improving the lives of mine and 

UXO survivors, increasing access to land and infrastructure, and 

supporting the development of host nation conventional weapons 

destruction (CWD) capacity. Of these funds, the Office of Weapons 

Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau 

of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) provided $29,557,000.

In FY2012 PM/WRA provided $2,635,000 to the nongovernmental organization (NGO) The HALO Trust (HALO). With 

this funding, HALO conducted manual and mechanical clearance 

of mine and ERW impacted communities, survey and re-survey 

of suspected hazard areas, and mine risk education. HALO also 

conducted community mine-free surveys in Manica, Maputo, 

and Tete provinces, helping Mozambique work toward its goal 

of becoming mine impact-free. These clearance activities measurably improve the lives of local populations by reducing the risk 

of injury and death from landmines, while opening new land for 

Weapons to be destroyed by the U.N. Mine Action Coordination Center in Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Photo courtesy of MONUSCO/Sylvain Liechti.
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agricultural and economic development. Finally, demining activities serve as a prerequisite for subsequent health and other development assistance. 

In 2009 U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) initiated 

engagement with the Forças Armadas de Defesa de Moçambique 

(Mozambique Armed Defense Forces or FADM) Humanitarian 

Mine Action (HMA) Company. USAFRICOM’s 2010 missions 

focused on explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and ERW, battle 

area clearance (BAC) operations, and vehicle maintenance. With 

U.S. assistance, the FADM HMA Company conducted limited 

demining operations near Chokwe, three hours northwest 

of Maputo. This was completed with the assistance of AntiPersoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Onwikkeling (Anti-personnel 

Landmines Detection Product Development or APOPO), a 

humanitarian demining NGO. The FADM unit is now working 

on demining in Maxixe. In FY2012 USAFRICOM conducted 

two missions to continue building capacity. As FADM is now 

self-sufficient in demining training, there will be no further 

USAFRICOM HMA engagement with the FADM HMA 

Company. Total cost of support to FADM was $404,000.

To further support Mozambique’s ongoing landmine clearance 

effort, USAFRICOM provided mobile training to IND and NGO 

operators in February 2013 and implemented another training 

mission in April 2013. The training mission took place at IND’s 

new training center in Inhambane, Mozambique. The center will 

support the training of police and national HMA teams who will 

serve as EOD/mine response teams once all known minefields are 

cleared and humanitarian demining NGOs depart. Teams will 

be responsible for clearing nuisance mines, UXO and explosive 

hazards throughout Mozambique utilizing small (four to five 

person), highly mobile teams.

Also in FY2012 the U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian 

Demining Research and Development (HD R&D) Program, in 

partnership with HALO, began an evaluation of the dual-sensor 

Handheld Standoff Mine Detection System (HSTAMIDS) and 

continued the evaluation of two Orbit Screens. HALO began 

evaluating HSTAMIDS in mid-FY2012 against new mine types 

and terrain conditions, finding 1,246 mines in areas covering 

8,055 square meters (2 acres). The Orbit Screens are clearing 

areas around power line pylons, providing access to critical 

infrastructure. Since January 2011, the Orbit Screens have sifted 

113,000 cubic meters (147,798 cubic yards) of soil, uncovering 

227 mines and items of UXO. HD R&D technologies operated 

by HALO are valued at $235,000. 

Somalia 

Two decades of civil war and internal conflicts, as well as 

periodic border conflicts, have resulted in extensive landmine and 

explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination in Somalia. The 

successful completion of Somalia’s political transition in 2012, 

however, resulted in a new provisional federal constitution, federal 

parliament, and president. As a result, on January 17, 2013, the 

United States recognized the government of Somalia for the first 

time since 1991. Due to the hard-won success of the African 

Union Mission in Somalia and the Somalia National Security 

Forces against al-Shabaab, an al-Qaida aligned terrorist group, 

the United States and its implementing partners are now able to 

work in areas previously inaccessible due to security concerns. AlShabaab has been pushed out of all major population centers over 

the past year and faces increased pressure, yet it remains a threat 

to Somalia and the region. Supplied with abandoned stockpiles of 

arms and munitions found among civilian populations, al-Shabaab 

has turned to asymmetrical warfare, planting improvised explosive 

devices and conducting ambushes. Trafficking illicit conventional 

weapons is widespread, and illegal arms proliferation continues 

across Somalia’s porous borders in contravention of the U.N. 

A U.S.-funded HALO deminer excavates a suspected mine on the MozambiqueZimbabwe border. The white stakes in the background represent mines that 

have been found and destroyed.

Photo courtesy of Darren Manning, PM/WRA, U.S. Dept. of State.

A HALO operations officer in Somalia logs explosive items handed over by 

the community for disposal. 

Photo courtesy of The HALO Trust.
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Point of Contact:

Office of Weapons Removal and 

Abatement (PM/WRA)

U.S. Department of State

Bureau of Political-Military Affairs

SA-3, Suite 6100

2121 Virginia Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20522

USA

telephone: +1 202 663 0083

fax: +1 202 663 0090

website: http://state.gov/t/pm/wra

U.S. Department of State’s Office of 

Weapons Removal and Abatement

The U.S. Department of State’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the 

Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) works to reduce the harmful worldwide 

effects of at-risk, illicitly proliferated, and indiscriminately used conventional 

weapons of war. PM/WRA develops, implements, and monitors policy and programs 

regarding the threat that conventional weapons such as landmines, unexploded 

ordnance, abandoned ordnance, stockpiled conventional munitions, man-portable 

air-defense systems (MANPADS), and other small arms and light weapons pose to 

civilians, economic stability, and U.S. national security. 

PM/WRA supports conventional weapons destruction (CWD) programs around 

the world, funding ground surveys and clearance of landmines and explosive 

remnants of war or assisting governments to secure or destroy abandoned and/or 

stockpiled munitions by supporting physical security and stockpile management 

efforts. The objective is two-fold: 1) to curb illicit trafficking and the availability of 

weapons (including MANPADS) to terrorists and criminals and 2) to facilitate postconflict cleanup and recovery. This approach also broadens support for U.S. CWD 

efforts.

By simultaneously addressing humanitarian needs and increasing international 

security, PM/WRA demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a set of values 

that respect human life. PM/WRA works closely with other U.S. Government 

agencies, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and 

private-sector partners. More than half of PM/WRA’s humanitarian assistance is in 

the form of grants to international NGOs. 

Security Council’s arms embargo on Somalia. 

These unsecured weapons and munitions 

threaten Somalia’s civilian population and 

regional stability.

From FY2008 to FY2012 the United 

States invested more than $8.9 million in 

conventional weapons destruction (CWD) 

programs in Somalia, mainly in Somaliland.

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal 

and Abatement in the U.S. Department of 

State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

(PM/WRA) provided $2.5 million for CWD 

programs in Somalia to clear and safely dispose 

of mines and unexploded ordnance, assist with 

physical security and stockpile management 

(PSSM), and recover and disable manportable air-defense systems (MANPADS). 

This assistance, directed through grants to 

international nongovernmental organizations, 

has made progress toward restoring safety and 

improving security in the region:

•	 Danish Demining Group (DDG) administered two emergency survey and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams to 

clear mines and ERW in Mogadishu and 

along the Somali-Ethiopian border. DDG 

also worked to enhance national capacity 

using International Mine Action Standards accredited qualifications to conduct 

quality control, quality assurance, and task 

planning of mine action operations.

•	 The HALO Trust cleared mines and 

ERW and supplied PSSM infrastructure 

investment and training. This work 

included manual demining, battle area 

clearance, survey and EOD teams, and 

the destruction of a limited number of 

MANPADS.

•	 MAG (Mines Advisory Group) worked 

to improve conventional arms and munitions PSSM practices in collaboration 

with local police.

South Sudan 

South Sudan, until July 2011 a part of 

Sudan, has been impacted by the negative 

effects of war since 1956, when Sudan gained 

independence from the United Kingdom 

and Egypt. Ending in 2011, more than two 

decades of civil war left behind extensive 

mine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) 

contamination in the country. More recently, 

A tank from WWII in the overgrown brush on Guadalcanal. 

Photo courtesy of Golden West Humanitarian Foundation.
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inter-ethnic conflicts, clashes over disputed territory with Sudan, 

and the regional threat of the Lord’s Resistance Army have also led 

to increased contamination and reduced security. The abundance 

of unsecure small arms and light weapons (SA/LW), including 

man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), pose a great risk 

to safety, security, and development in South Sudan, the world’s 

newest nation.

From FY1993 to FY2011 the United States provided $30.5 

million in funding for conventional weapons destruction (CWD) 

efforts in Sudan, a large majority of which was allocated to the 

South. After South Sudan gained independence in 2011, CWD 

programs in South Sudan began to receive funds directly in FY2012.

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement 

in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military 

Affairs (PM/WRA) granted $2.8 million to international nongovernmental organizations in South Sudan for CWD programs 

that cleared ERW and SA/LW, supported long-term remediation 

of ERW contamination, and promoted local capacity building:

•	 MAG (Mines Advisory Group) supported an 11-person 

explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and SA/LW team and a 

community liaison team, which contributed to the disposal of 

abandoned ordnance and SA/LW stockpiles and safe clearance 

of unexploded ordnance throughout South Sudan.

•	 Norwegian People’s Aid continued its support of EOD and 

battle area clearance (BAC) teams in Equatoria and Upper Nile 

and conducted route survey and spot EOD and BAC tasks as 

necessary in Jonglei.

•	 Fondation Suisse de Déminage (Swiss Foundation for Mine Action or FSD) continued EOD support, manual and mechanical 

demining training activities, and operational capacity building 

for the South Sudan Integrated Mine Action Service (SIMAS), 

a South Sudanese nongovernmental organization. In addition 

to clearance activities by two manual demining 

teams and one rapid response/EOD team, the 

grant specifically focused on building the technical competence of SIMAS through skill transfer 

and job training; strengthening the managerial 

capacity to support mine clearance operations financially, administratively, and logistically; and 

providing assistance and guidance to the SIMAS 

board of trustees.

In January 2012 U.S. Africa Command’s 

(USAFRICOM) Humanitarian Mine Action 

Program was tasked to engage in the development process of the South Sudan Mine Action 

Authority and provide initial training and equipment through a train-the-trainer program. The 

Combined Joint Task Force–Horn of Africa 

(CJTF-HOA) was assigned as the force provider 

to South Sudan and conducted three train-the-trainer missions 

in Juba, South Sudan in FY2012. CJTF-HOA will conduct four 

missions in FY2013 centering on demining, EOD International 

Mine Action Standards Levels I and II, stockpile management 

and reduction operations, and medical first-responder techniques. 

Total support from USAFRICOM in FY2012 was $367,000.

Zimbabwe 

Zimbabwe’s landmine contamination is largely a legacy of 

the guerrilla warfare surrounding its independence in the 1970s. 

Documents from the Rhodesian Security Forces indicate that 

more than 2.5 million anti-personnel (AP) mines and 67,000 AP 

fragmentation mines were laid in Zimbabwe, formerly Rhodesia. 

Remaining contamination is estimated at 200 square kilometers 

(77 square miles), comprising almost 600 linear kilometers (373 

miles) along the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border.

From FY1997 to FY2000 the United States invested 

$6,351,000 in Zimbabwe to improve the capacity of Zimbabwe’s 

National Demining Authority (ZIMAC) by equipping and 

training multiple companies of military engineers. This support 

contributes to the development of host nation capacity in 

conventional weapons destruction (CWD) and allows Zimbabwe 

to clear and safely dispose of mines and unexploded ordnance 

and improve access to land and infrastructure. Of this support, 

$3,086,000 came from the Office of Weapons Removal and 

Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of PoliticalMilitary Affairs (PM/WRA).

In FY2012 PM/WRA provided $250,000 to The HALO 

Trust for a humanitarian mine action program in Zimbabwe 

that supported manual clearance of mine-impacted communities, 

explosive remnants of war clearance, survey and re-survey of 

suspected hazardous areas, and mine risk education. This work 

will reduce the risk of landmine incidents for the local population 

and open up previously contaminated land for agricultural and 

economic development. 

Not far from Jangabura village, South Sudan, members of the Sudan People’s 

Liberation Army show a PM/WRA-funded MAG explosive ordnance disposal/

small arms and light weapons team a stockpile of mortars, rockets, and 

projectiles. The team sorts the items for demolition.

Photo courtesy of Sean Sutton, MAG.
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The Humanitarian Demining Research and Development (HD R&D) 

Program focuses on the rapid development, testing, demonstration, and 

validation of technologies that increase the efficiency and enhance the 

safety of humanitarian demining operations. In particular, the HD R&D 

Program provides technology solutions to the most challenging landmine 

and unexploded ordnance (UXO) detection and clearance tasks. HD R&D 

Program technologies consistently find and remove mines and UXO where 

manual clearance or mine detecting dogs are not feasible, and without which 

operations partners would be unable to complete and hand over sites. The 

program improves technologies for mine/UXO detection, mechanical mine/

UXO and vegetation clearance, and mine/UXO neutralization.

New technology requirements are identified and validated at a biennial 

requirements workshop held by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of 

Defense for Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict. All prototypes undergo 

extensive testing in the United States before they are deployed to support 

operational field evaluations (OFE), an integral aspect of the HD R&D Program. 

During OFEs, equipment capabilities are assessed by host-nation demining 

partners (foreign militaries, nongovernmental organizations, and mine action 

centers) in actual demining conditions. The evaluations allow host countries 

to operate and test equipment in active minefields and provide feedback to 

initiate future R&D improvements.

To date, the HD R&D Program’s technologies have cleared 18 million 

square meters (7 square miles) of the world’s toughest minefields, removing 

or destroying 80,000-plus mines and UXO. In addition, it has recovered 33 

tons of explosives from stockpiled munitions and provided 280,000 mine/

UXO disposal charges. Since 1995, the program has fielded technologies in 

support of 160 OFEs in 36 countries. In FY2012 HD R&D performed OFEs in 

Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Chile, Ecuador, Iraq, Lebanon, Mozambique, 

Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Some of 

the more than 48 technologies being evaluated include the Orbit Screen, 

Rotary Mine Comb, Badger Multi-Tooled Excavator, Handheld Standoff Mine 

Detection System (HSTAMIDS), Minehound, and the Luxor Unexploded 

Ordnance Detection System. 

Point of Contact:

Sean Burke, Program Manager

U.S. Army RDECOM CERDEC NVESD

ATTN: RDER-NVC-HD

10221 Burbeck Road

Fort Belvoir, Virginia 22060

USA 

telephone: +1 703 704 1047

fax: +1 703 704 3001

email: sean.p.burke@us.army.mil

website: http://humanitarian-demining.org

U.S. Department of Defense 

Humanitarian Demining Research and 

Development Program

More Support in Africa

Unsecure and unstable stockpiles of 

small arms and light weapons (SA/LW) 

and munitions heighten security concerns 

throughout Africa. Beyond the physical 

security and stockpile management (PSSM) 

efforts in Africa listed in earlier country 

profiles, the United States has also provided 

PSSM support in other African countries.

In addition to its work in Democratic 

Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, 

and South Sudan, U.S. Africa Command 

(USAFRICOM) provided support in the 

following countries: 

•	 Burundi: USAFRICOM has been engaged with the Burundi humanitarian 

mine action (HMA) program since the 

fall of 2010 and has conducted two to 

three missions per year with Burundian 

engineers in Bujumbura. These missions 

focused on explosive ordnance disposal 

(EOD), explosive remnants of war (ERW) 

operations, and stockpile reduction. Total 

support in FY2012 was $201,000.

•	 Chad: USAFRICOM began working in 

Chad in FY2010. Supported initially by 

the Combined Joint Task Force–Horn 

of Africa (CJTF-HOA), one mission 

in FY2011 centered on EOD and ERW 

operations training. In FY2012 the mission expanded to include demining, 

stockpile management, and medical firstresponder training. An instructor from the 

U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency 

(DTRA) supported these missions. The 

Chad National Demining Authority 

(CND) assisted U.S. instructors in leading some of the classes. In 2012 Chad was 

reassigned to U.S. Army Africa. Ongoing 

efforts will focus on continued development of the CND training center, which 

can provide long-term instruction in all 

HMA skill sets. The total cost of support 

in FY2012 was $414,000.

•	 Kenya: USAFRICOM has supported 

the Humanitarian Peace Support School 

(HPSS), a regional center for HMA, 

in Embakasi, Nairobi, since early 2009. 

These efforts support the training of 

HPSS HMA instructors, building capacity in EOD/ERW operations and conventional stockpile management, and extend 
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USAFRICOM’s reach regionally to areas not accessible due to 

travel and force-protection concerns, including ongoing conflict. 

These partnerships are essential to expanding USAFRICOM’s 

HMA Program regionally at minimal cost to the United States. 

HPSS HMA instructors took the lead for all classes in FY2012. 

These HMA missions are supported by CJTF-HOA, which 

will conduct two engagements annually for the foreseeable future. Total support in FY2012 was $236,000.

•	 Namibia: USAFRICOM has engaged with the Namibian 

Defense Force and police for the past three years. In 2010 two 

missions were conducted to provide EOD/ERW operations 

and medical first-responder training. These missions are a key 

engagement tool for USAFRICOM and the only military-tomilitary contact thus far. The total cost of support in FY2012 

was $309,000.

•	 Republic of the Congo (ROC): In response to the ammunition 

storage point explosion in Brazzaville, ROC, on March 4, 2012, 

USAFRICOM (in coordination with U.S. Naval Forces Africa 

[USNAVAF]) provided training in September 2012. This 

train-the-trainer mission was the first of several planned with 

the Forces Armees Congolaises (ROC Armed Forces or FAC) and 

national mine action staff to build capacity in EOD, ERW and 

battle area clearance operations, stockpile management, and 

medical first-responder techniques. The total cost of support in 

FY2012 was $267,000.

•	 Tanzania: In the summer of FY2011 an ammunition storage point in Dar es Salaam exploded, causing damage to the 

surrounding area and injuring and killing civilian personnel. 

Tanzania requested assistance, and USAFRICOM provided 

initial training in EOD/ERW operations and medical firstresponder techniques. These teams consist of U.S. Navy EOD 

technicians, medical staff, and DTRA SA/LW Program personnel. USAFRICOM has assigned Tanzania to USNAVAF, 

which conducted three missions in FY2012. Total support in 

FY2012 was $244,000. 

Besides work noted previously, DTRA provided PSSM 

assistance in Africa as follows:

•	 Burundi: In June 2012, at the request of the General Staff 

of the Forces de Defense Nationale (National Defense Force of 

Burundi or FDN) and coordinated through the U.S. Embassy 

in Bujumbura, DTRA SA/LW personnel conducted a PSSM 

assessment of the arms, ammunition, and explosives (AA&E) 

at five sites in Burundi. The DTRA team identified excess, 

obsolete, and unsafe ammunition for destruction, as well 

as recommended physical security upgrades, to be funded 

by PM/WRA. The DTRA SA/LW Program has had a 

successful relationship with Burundi since 2006, resulting in 

more than 150 FDN personnel and over 40 Burundi police 

officials oriented to international best practices for the PSSM 

of SA/LW, ammunition, and explosives. Many procedural 

and practical PSSM improvements highlighted at previous 

seminars were observed in practice during the June assessment.

•	 Djibouti: At the request of the U.S. Embassy in Djibouti on 

behalf of the Forces Armees Djiboutiennes (Djiboutian Armed 

Forces or FAD), the DTRA SA/LW Program conducted a 

PSSM technical seminar in Djibouti City in January 2012. The 

goal of the seminar was to orient 16 military participants with 

stockpile management responsibilities to international PSSM 

best practices for SA/LW and conventional ammunition. As 

part of the DTRA SA/LW Program’s cooperative relationship 

with other national arms control agencies in the Multinational 

Small Arms and Ammunition Group (MSAG), a subject matter 

expert from the Danish Verification Agency supported the team.

•	 Kenya: In addition, the DTRA SA/LW Program supported a 

USAFRICOM HMA training mission and MSAG regional 

PSSM seminar in Kenya in April 2012. A USAFRICOM mobile training team, in addition to a DTRA SA/LW instructor, 

provided instruction on ammunition stockpile management and 

basic ammunition identification to 38 members of the Kenyan 

and Egyptian militaries. In June 2012, at the request of the 

German Arms Control Agency, the DTRA SA/LW Program 

along with PSSM experts from Austria, Canada, Germany, 

and Sweden conducted a PSSM executive seminar at HPSS in 

Kenya. The goal of the seminar was to orient 26 participants 

from seven African nations to international best practices for 

PSSM in order to reduce proliferation by improving the security, safety, and management of stockpiles of arms, ammunition, 

and explosives. The DTRA SA/LW Program and approximately 10 other national arms control units have a long history of 

collaborating and supporting mutual SA/LW efforts through 

MSAG. This was the first opportunity for the DTRA SA/LW 

Program to support a German-led effort.

•	 Sierra Leone. At the request of the U.S. Defense Liaison Office in Freetown, Sierra Leone, the DTRA SA/LW Program 

conducted a PSSM assessment of weapon and ammunition 

Burundian schoolchildren express appreciation for U.S. support to local 

police who help keep them safe.

Photo courtesy of Ben Cacioppo, U.S. DOD DTRA SA/LW Branch.
TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 17

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storage sites controlled by the Republic 

of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF). 

The assessment objective was to compare 

and verify the ammunition and weapons 

slated for destruction against the list provided to the DTRA SA/LW team and 

to assess the condition of the weapons, 

ammunition, and storage facilities. These 

sites included two depot-level sites in 

Freetown and seven unit-level sites near 

Freetown and in eastern Sierra Leone. 

Overall, the storage sites did not meet 

international standards for physical security measures; however, the RSLAF units 

have met the standards as much as possible with available resources, including 

fabricating items to meet these standards.

Finally, the Leahy War Victims Fund 

(LWVF) of the U.S. Agency for International 

Development granted $2.8 million to the 

International Committee of the Red Cross 

Special Fund for the Disabled to provide 

prosthetics and other rehabilitation services 

to 23 centers in 17 sub-Saharan African 

countries. Also in FY2012, LWVF provided 

$500,000 to support the strengthening of 

rehabilitation services in Rwanda.

The Senior Managers’ Course in ERW 

and Mine Action

Point of Contact: 

Geary Cox II, M.A.

Program Coordinator and Project Manager

Center for International Stabilization and Recovery

James Madison University

800 South Main Street, MSC 4902

Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA 22807 

telephone: +1 540 568 3356

fax: +1 540 568 8176

website: http://cisr.jmu.edu/training/SMC.html

In May–June 2013, the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR) 

at James Madison University (JMU) conducted its ninth Senior Managers’ Course in 

ERW and Mine Action (SMC). CISR has hosted SMC on the campus of JMU since 2004, 

initially with funding from the U.N. Development Programme. The Office of Weapons 

Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military 

Affairs (PM/WRA) became the course sponsor in 2010. 

The course participants are selected from a wide pool of applicants and are each 

leaders in their respective national mine action and explosive remnants of war (ERW) 

programs. This year, students from 13 different countries attended the four-week 

course. The diversity of backgrounds and experience makes the course even more 

valuable as students share unique perspectives and exchange ideas with classmates 

from countries facing similar challenges.

SMC draws on the expertise of internationally recognized JMU professors 

and other subject-area experts to effectively apply management best practices to 

situations in the field. The curriculum incorporates the latest academic research 

in business management, best practices, and emerging ERW issues. Participants 

hone program management and strategic planning skills and develop a professional 

network for continued collaboration with classmates, JMU faculty, CISR staff, and 

PM/WRA personnel.

SMC’s main objectives are as follows:

•	 Participants develop the skills needed by effective managers, such as oral and 

written communication, time management, and media relations.

•	 Faculty provide management training with an emphasis on application in the 

field, including strategic planning, project management, leadership skills, and 

human resource management.

•	 Subject-area experts enhance managers’ knowledge of humanitarian ERW and 

mine action challenges, techniques, and emerging practices.

Graduates of the SMC return to their national programs with better skills to more 

effectively carry out their vital humanitarian mission. Since 2010, SMC participants 

have come from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Colombia, Democratic Republic 

of the Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Nepal, Senegal, Slovenia, 

South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tajikistan, Uganda, and Vietnam.

Members of the Kenyan and Egyptian militaries 

receive instruction on basic ammunition 

identification from a USAFRICOM mobile training 

team and a DTRA SA/LW instructor.

Photo courtesy of USAFRICOM.
Afghanistan

Burma

Cambodia

Thailand Vietnam

Laos

Sri Lanka

Kyrgyzstan

Solomon 

Islands

Palau

Kazakhstan

Uzbekistan

Tajikistan

Philippines

Pakistan Nepal

Total U.S. Conventional Weapons Destruction Funding 

In Asia From All U.S. Agencies, 1993–2012 

$628,633,000

Afghanistan 54.85%

Burma 0.15%

Cambodia 14.20%

Kazakhstan 0.05%

Kyrgyzstan 0.08%

Laos 9.88%

Pakistan 0.13%

Nepal 0.32%

Palau 0.04%

Philippines 0.39%

Solomon Islands 0.21%

Sri Lanka 5.85%

Tajikistan 1.51%

Thailand 1.87%

Uzbekistan 0.02%

Vietnam 10.42% India 0.05%

Percentage of 

total regional 

funding per 

country

Received U.S. CWD support in FY2012

Received support in the past

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TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 19

Already the largest and most populous continent, Asia has 

the highest rate of population growth in the world. Asia also 

has experienced rapid economic growth and development 

in recent decades. However, the region has faced extreme natural 

disasters and internal challenges including poverty, corruption, and 

poor governance. Large gaps exist between the relative wealth of 

developed nations such as Japan and South Korea and that of developing 

nations, such as Cambodia and Sri Lanka. Persisting through decades 

of armed conflicts since World War II, explosive remnants of war affect 

the daily lives of people throughout Southeast Asia. The continent 

contains the country most heavily bombed per capita, Laos, and the world’s most heavily mined country, Afghanistan. U.S. 

conventional weapons destruction programs have provided more than $628 million to support mine clearance, small arms 

and light weapons and munitions control, and victim assistance programs throughout the region. 

The Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) leads a munitions clearance and destruction project in Tajikistan.

Photo courtesy of FSD.

Asia

Afghanistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Burma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Cambodia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Kyrgyzstan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Laos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Palau. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Solomon Islands . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Sri Lanka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Tajikistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Thailand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Vietnam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

More Support in Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Between 1999 and 2011 U.S. CWD programs have contributed 

to an 83.1% reduction in reported landmine and ERW 

casualties in Cambodia. This highlights the importance of the 

United States’ 20-year commitment to CWD in Asia. 

Casualty data courtesy of the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor.

2011: 

211 casualties

CASE STUDY: CAMBODIA

1999: 

1,249 casualties

83.1% reduction reduction
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Afghanistan 

After decades of conflict, Afghanistan has one of the world’s 

highest levels of contamination from landmines and explosive 

remnants of war (ERW). Contamination is mainly the result of 

the 1979 Soviet invasion, internal armed conflict from 1992 to 

2001, and the U.S.-led Coalition’s intervention in late 2001, which 

added considerable quantities of unexploded ordnance (UXO). 

As of February 2013, the Mine Action Coordination Center of 

Afghanistan (MACCA) estimated the number of hazards at 4,734, 

affecting over 523 million square meters (202 square miles) and 

1,717 communities. Although Afghanistan boasts one of the most 

established mine action programs in the world, the recent release 

of land from Taliban strongholds has resulted in the identification 

of 33 additional hazardous areas. This reemphasizes the need 

for donor funding and increased attention to the severity of the 

problem affecting the civilian population and the socioeconomic 

success of Afghanistan as a whole.

Through FY2012 the United States has invested more than 

$271 million in conventional weapons destruction (CWD) 

programs in Afghanistan aimed at the clearance and safe disposal 

of landmines, UXO, and excess weapons and munitions. Directed 

through several Afghan and international partner organizations, 

this assistance has made significant progress toward restoring 

access to land and infrastructure, developing Afghan capacity to 

manage such programs independently, and protecting Afghan 

communities from potential risks.

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in 

the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

(PM/WRA) provided $40,550,000 to Afghanistan for CWD 

programs that cleared landmines and UXO, provided mine risk 

education (MRE), delivered victim assistance, and enhanced hostnation capacity. More specifically, PM/WRA funded the following 

organizations and activities:

•	 Afghan Technical Consultants continued mine action operations, with emphasis on landmine clearance in east, southeast, 

and central provinces. Clearance operations included 13 manual demining teams, two mechanical demining units, five mine 

detection dog (MDD) teams, and three explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams. 

•	 Clear Path International supported 10 subgrant recipients that 

expanded integrated victim assistance initiatives throughout 

the north, east, and south regions of Afghanistan. Victim 

assistance projects included rehabilitation services, programs to 

enhance access to public buildings and facilities, and vocational 

rehabilitation training for landmine survivors.

•	 Danish Demining Group continued and expanded clearance 

operations in the Panjshir Valley, using two survey and impact 

monitoring teams and 10 manual clearance teams.

•	 Demining Agency for Afghanistan (DAFA) core operations 

in Kabul, Kapisa, and Nangarhar provinces used the following 

assets: 16 demining teams, four mechanical demining units, 

two EOD teams, and five MDD teams. DAFA also oversaw 

three competitively bid community-based demining (CBD) 

projects in Panjwai and Zhari districts of Kandahar and the 

Kajaki district, Helmand.

•	 DynCorp International completed six remaining operational 

months of current contractual agreements. These operations 

provided oversight of mine clearance projects, the mentoring of 

five national nongovernmental organizations (NGO), and the 

management of seven CWD EOD teams. 

•	 The HALO Trust (HALO) continued ongoing demining 

operations, using 24 manual demining teams, six manual 

clearance units, 12 mechanical clearance teams, two battle 

area clearance teams, one EOD team, and two survey teams. 

Funding also continued to support and expand the weapons 

and ammunition disposal program in Afghanistan with three 

disposal teams, three survey teams, and one Ministry of 

Defense support team.

•	 Mine Clearance Planning Agency continued mine clearance 

operations in Khost, Logar, Nangarhar, Paktiya, and Parwan 

provinces of Afghanistan, using 18 demining teams, five MDD 

teams, two EOD teams, four mechanical demining units, and 

five CBD teams. 

•	 Mine Detection Center (MDC) deployed four MDD teams, 

two demining teams, one EOD team, 24 CBD teams, and one 

community-based EOD team. MDC also continued its CBD 

project in Now Zad district, Helmand. 

•	 Organization for Mine Clearance and Afghan Reconstruction

deployed 15 demining teams, eight MDD teams, and one 

mechanical demining unit in Kabul, Logar, Nangarhar, and 

Parwan. Funding also supported an MRE program at the East 

River Firing Range in Bagram, Parwan.

Two disabled men are fitted with prosthetics at an orthopedic center in 

Kabul, Afghanistan.

Photo courtesy of Akmal Dawi/IRIN.
TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 21

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A Golden West Humanitarian Foundation team in Cambodia moves a 2,000 

pound bomb, which was later destroyed. 

Photo courtesy of Golden West Humanitarian Foundation.

•	 Sterling International (now Sterling Global) provided 

oversight of mine clearance projects, mentored five NGOs, 

and managed seven CWD EOD teams. 

•	 United Nations Mine Action Service supported the Mine 

Action Program for Afghanistan with particular emphasis on 

developing host-nation capacity through the Department of 

Mine Clearance.

In FY2012, the U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian 

Demining Research and Development (HD R&D) Program, in 

partnership with HALO, continued evaluations of equipment 

valued at $1 million. The technologies continue to clear mines 

and perform technical surveys in villages and agricultural areas 

throughout Afghanistan. The equipment includes the Orbit 

Screen, which sifts mine-contaminated soil; several sifting 

excavator attachments; the Mantis, an armored area-preparation 

and mine-clearance tractor; and the Raptor, an armored 

tractor with the Rotary Mine Comb anti-tank mine clearance 

attachment. These systems have cleared more than 2,500,000 

square meters (618 acres) of land and found more than 28,000 

mines and items of UXO to date. 

Burma 

Burma suffers from extensive landmine contamination resulting 

from decades of internal conflict. The central government and some 

ethnic minority forces laid mines, and they now share the view that 

mines are impediments to peace and development. Reports indicate 

a reduction in new mine placement, though mines are still deployed 

in conflict areas. No complete estimate of the extent of contamination exists, although suspected hazardous areas have been identified by the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor. Mines are 

believed to be concentrated on Burma’s borders with Bangladesh 

and Thailand. Explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination 

dating back to World War II also affects the country. From 1999 to 

2011 the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor identified 3,242 

casualties from landmine and ERW incidents in Burma, but total 

casualty numbers are unknown.

Burma is currently developing mine action standards; however, 

the government of Burma has not legally approved survey and 

clearance activites in the country at this time. The government 

of Burma has taken steps to permit humanitarian mine action 

activities and has established the Myanmar Mine Action Centre. 

The Ministry of Health does not distinguish mine and ERW 

incidents from trauma incidents, and a lack of suitable healthcare 

infrastructure leaves many victims without access to treatment. 

However, some survivors have received assistance through 

rehabilitation centers in Burma and near the border in Thailand. 

In FY2011 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in 

the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

(PM/WRA) invested $90,000 in a pilot program in Burma aimed 

at improving the lives of mine and ERW survivors and mitigating 

the negative impact of the country’s contamination by conducting 

mine risk education (MRE).

In FY2012 PM/WRA granted $828,286 in assistance to Burma 

for programs that provided MRE and victim assistance as follows:

•	 DanChurchAid continues to conduct MRE and victim assistance activities.

•	 Humpty Dumpty Institute continued its MRE and victim 

assistance programs that began in FY2011.

•	 World Education, Inc. improved the capacity of a prosthetics 

workshop in Kayah state.

Cambodia 

Nearly three decades of armed conflict left Cambodia severely 

contaminated by landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). 

During the various Indochina wars, the Khmer Rouge, the Royal 

Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), the Vietnamese military, 

and to a lesser extent the Thai army, were responsible for laying 

extensive minefields. These minefields are especially concentrated 

in the western part of the country, most notably in the dense K-5 

mine belt along Cambodia’s border with Thailand. The eastern and 

northeastern areas of Cambodia are heavily contaminated with 

UXO, mostly from U.S. air and artillery strikes during the Vietnam 

War and also from numerous land battles fought along the border 

with Vietnam. International donors fund more than 90 percent of 

mine and UXO clearance in Cambodia.

From FY1993 to FY2012 the United States invested more than 

$85 million in Cambodia for clearance and safe disposal of mines 

and UXO, as well as to improve the lives of mine/UXO survivors 

and increase access to land and infrastructure.

During FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal and 

Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Bureau of 

Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) provided $5,493,899 to 

Cambodia for conventional weapons destruction (CWD) programs 

to clear mines and UXO and provide mine risk education (MRE) 

and victim assistance as follows:

•	 Clear Path International implemented projects that improved 

the socioeconomic status of survivors with disabilities from 

UXO incidents by providing professional skills training and 

infrastructure development.

•	 Golden West Humanitarian Foundation (GWHF) operated 

its Explosive Harvesting System (EHS), supported PM/WRA 

regional initiatives related to CWD, and provided underwater 
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demining training to representatives of the Cambodia Mine 

Action Authority.

•	 The HALO Trust (HALO) conducted clearance activities in 

mine-affected districts in Cambodia.

•	 Landmine Relief Fund administered a subgrant to maintain a clearance team operated by Cambodia Self-Help 

Demining, an indigenous organization that operates in villages overlooked by larger, multi-national, nongovernmental, 

clearance organizations.

•	 MAG (Mines Advisory Group) conducted clearance and 

community liaison activities in rural communities in northwest Cambodia.

•	 Spirit of Soccer delivered MRE messages to children living 

in high-risk regions of western Cambodia by providing soccer 

training in conjunction with MRE. 

•	 Sterling International (now Sterling Global) provided 

technical advisors to consult, manage, and disburse funds to 

the Cambodia Mine Action Center and provide explosive 

ordnance disposal support to RCAF. 

•	 U.S. Embassy Phnom Penh administered a fund to assist in 

destroying man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) 

discovered in RCAF stocks.

In FY2012 U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) deployed 

four subject-matter experts to Cambodia to conduct a program 

development visit to analyze and develop future humanitarian 

mine action (HMA) train-the-trainer events. In support of this 

mission, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Humanitarian 

Demining Training Center (HDTC) also deployed two subjectmatter experts to Cambodia.

In addition, USPACOM conducted two HMA blast-injury 

training missions in Cambodia during FY2012. During the two 

missions, 44 Cambodian medics were trained. USPACOM funding for the program development visit and blast-injury training 

missions totaled $235,000. Overseas Humanitarian Disaster Assistance and Civic Aid funded HDTC travel costs, totaling $21,945.

With funding and support of both the DOS and the DOD 

Humanitarian Demining Research and Development (HD R&D) 

Program, HALO and MAG continued their operations with and 

evaluations of the dual-sensor Handheld Standoff Mine Detection System (HSTAMIDS) in manual mine-clearance of densely 

cluttered minefields. During evaluations in partnership with the 

HD R&D Program, HSTAMIDS cleared 4.6 million square meters (1.8 square miles) of land and detected 23,000 anti-personnel 

mines. HSTAMIDS accurately discriminated 9.8 million detections as metallic clutter, saving 10–15 minutes of excavation for 

each. The HD R&D Program advanced the rapid investigation of 

clutter, currently performed with long-handled tools, by beginning an evaluation of the Wolverine Mine Tiller with MAG in 

late FY2012. The remote-controlled Wolverine is equipped with 

a power harrow attachment for engaging the ground and providing rapid quality assurance. The long-handled tools and Wolverine 

Mine Tiller follow HSTAMIDS clearance in minefields with high 

metallic clutter concentrations, where cleared minefields are not 

metal-free and require a secondary mechanical process for quality 

assurance and quality control. 

The HD R&D Program initiated several new detection technology evaluations in Cambodia in FY2012. In mid-FY2012, HALO 

began an evaluation of the Minehound, a dual-sensor handheld 

detector that uses ground-penetrating radar and metal detection 

technology to locate mines and UXO. To date, the Minehound 

has cleared more than 130,000 square meters (32 acres) of land 

and found 197 mines. Also in FY2012, GWHF began intensive 

in-country testing and evaluation of the Luxor and Scorpion UXO 

detection systems. Luxor integrates UPEX large loop coils with 

real-time kinematic global positioning system geo-referenced mapping capability on a remote-controlled all-terrain vehicle. The system is designed to provide a quick survey of a suspected hazardous 

area to identify and locate buried UXO. The Scorpion is a lightweight man-portable system that complements the Luxor with its 

ability to operate in either the same area or in areas too small for the 

Luxor to operate. HD R&D will continue evaluations of the Luxor 

and Scorpion in Cambodia with MAG in FY2013.

In primary mechanical mine and vegetation clearance, the 

HD R&D Program continued operational field evaluations with 

HALO and MAG of the Badger tracked excavator, the Storm 

steep-slope excavator, the Nemesis remote-controlled skid-steer, 

and the Rex small remote-controlled tracked excavator. Together 

these technologies have cleared 561,000 square meters (139 acres) 

of vegetation and suspect soil, finding 869 mines and items of UXO. 

The HD R&D Program, in partnership with GWHF, 

continued support of the innovative EHS in Cambodia. The EHS 

and Mobile Cutting System (MCS) process large projectiles and 

mines, and recast the explosive into small disposal charges for in 

situ mine/UXO neutralization. The MCS renders UXO safe in the 

field, enabling the explosive to be recovered. Together the systems 

have processed 14,056 items of ordnance, recovering 33,000 

kilograms (72,753 pounds) of explosives for a total of 280,000 

disposal charges. The effort has also recovered 89,000 kilograms 

(196,211 pounds) of metal for safe recycling. Total HD R&D 

assistance in Cambodia is valued at $4 million.

Farmers in Khammouan province, Laos, harvest crops from cleared 

land. 

Photo courtesy of MAG.
TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 23

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Kyrgyzstan 

In addition to landmine contamination along its border 

with Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan faces risks from unsecured and 

deteriorating weapons and munitions stockpiles remaining from 

the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In March 2011 the Office 

of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department 

of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA), 

the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), and the 

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) 

conducted a joint survey and assessment of ammunition storage 

facilities in Kyrgyzstan to determine the current condition of small 

arms and light weapons (SA/LW), conventional ammunition, 

and man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS). While 

the overall physical security is of serious concern, degraded and 

deteriorating ammunition poses immediate danger to civilians 

because storage sites are located close to populated areas. In all 

cases, storage facilities were in such poor condition that they 

provided only minimum protection from adverse weather. This, 

in turn, adds to the risk of explosive residue from decaying 

ammunition contaminating soil and water tables around storage 

sites. Professional training and financial assistance can mitigate 

the imminent threat of a depot explosion.

In February 2012 the United States expressed its pledge to 

provide funding to OSCE-Bishkek to support a Kyrgystani 

physical security and stockpile management (PSSM) program. 

In FY2012 the United States provided OSCE-Bishkek with 

$500,000 in support of this program. To date, this funding has 

been utilized for renovation of and upgrades to explosive storage 

facilities, destruction of excess and unserviceable munitions, and 

training programs in support of PSSM initiatives. The European 

Union, Finland, Kazakhstan, and the United Kingdom have also 

provided funds in support of ongoing projects. This combined 

assistance will develop a national regulatory framework for the 

management of SA/LW and conventional ammunition stockpiles 

that meets and adheres to OSCE and U.N. best practices; 

mitigates the threat to civilians from unplanned depot explosions 

with infrastructure development and facility modernization; trains 

and educates the Kyrgystani military to adhere to weapons and 

ammunition storage procedures based on explosive classification 

and compatibility standards; and facilitates destruction of excess, 

unserviceable, or unsafe weapons and weapon systems. 

At the request of OSCE, the DTRA SA/LW Program 

conducted three PSSM seminars in Bishkek and Osh in February 

and March 2012. The seminars were sponsored by OSCEBishkek, and the team provided international PSSM best practices 

and procedures training to more than 60 members of the Ministry 

of Defense of Kyrgyzstan. DTRA instructors were assisted by 

a subject-matter expert from the Swedish EOD and Demining 

Centre. The goal of the seminars was to improve Kyrgyzstan’s 

PSSM procedures by providing a forum for international best 

practices on safe storage and stockpile management of arms, 

ammunition, and explosives (AA&E). These seminars were part 

of an OSCE Comprehensive Project on SA/LW 

and Conventional Ammunition in Kyrgyzstan. 

The DTRA SA/LW Program and the Swedish 

Arms Control Agency have collaborated and 

coordinated AA&E assistance activities through 

the Multinational Small Arms and Ammunition 

Group for several years. 

Laos 

Laos is the most heavily bombed country per 

capita in the world, a result of the Indochina Wars 

of the 1960s and 1970s. While landmines were laid 

in Laos during this period, unexploded ordnance 

(UXO), such as cluster munitions, called “bombies,” 

represent a far greater threat to the population. 

Most of the country’s 17 provinces are contaminated 

by UXO, and population growth in rural areas and 

other socioeconomic factors intensify demands 

to put UXO-contaminated land into production, 

which in turn leads to increased risk of death and 

injury. 

Since 1993, the United States has invested 

$62,061,333 in conventional weapons destruction (CWD) programs in Laos for clearance 

and safe disposal of mines and UXO as well as 

survivor assistance and risk education. Directed 

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits with Phongsavath Souliyalat at COPE Center in 

Vientiane, Laos, during her July 2012 visit. 

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Dept. of State.
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through several international partner organizations and UXO 

Lao, a national clearance operator, CWD programs have made 

significant progress toward restoring access to land and infrastructure, increasing national capacity to manage such programs 

independently, providing invaluable support to UXO survivors, 

and protecting Laotian communities from potential risks.

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in 

the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

(PM/WRA) provided $9,233,333 to Laos for CWD programs 

that cleared mines and UXO and provided mine risk education 

(MRE) and victim assistance as follows:

•	 Catholic Relief Services trained village first responders and 

disseminated MRE materials in two provinces.

•	 Clear Path International implemented its integrated mine 

action and victim assistance programs, which support and advance the development, inclusion, and integration of persons 

with disabilities through education, training, and income generation.

•	 The HALO Trust conducted UXO clearance in Savannakhet 

province.

•	 Health Leadership International provided portable ultrasound 

machines and trained Laotian health workers on ultrasound 

procedures in mine-affected districts.

•	 MAG (Mines Advisory Group) continued work begun in 

FY2011, conducting survey and clearance operations in 

Xiengkhouang and Khammouane provinces, and contributed 

to a European Union-funded UXO contamination survey 

called the District Focused Approach.

•	 Norwegian People’s Aid conducted survey and clearance 

operations in approximately 30 villages deemed high-impact 

in Xekong province.

•	 Spirit of Soccer conducted a sports-centered MRE program 

aimed at children in high-impact areas.

•	 Sterling International (now Sterling Global) supported the 

oversight and management of UXO Lao clearance teams as 

well as technical capacity development of UXO Lao and the 

National Regulatory Authority.

•	 World Education worked to improve the ability of the 

Xiengkhouang first responder and trauma care systems to care 

for UXO accident victims and other patients. World Education 

also issued a subgrant to the nongovernmental organization 

Legacies of War to conduct a UXO awareness-raising speakers 

tour throughout the United States.

In FY2012, U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) deployed four 

subject-matter experts to Laos to conduct a program development 

visit to analyze and develop future humanitarian mine action trainthe-trainer events. Funding for travel related costs totaled $32,645.

The U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian Demining 

Training Center (HDTC) also deployed two subject-matter 

experts to Laos in support of USPACOM’s program development 

visit. Overseas Humanitarian Disaster Assistance and Civic Aid 

funded the HDTC travel costs, totaling $21,945.

Palau 

The Republic of Palau is contaminated with unexploded 

ordnance (UXO) dating back to World War II. The majority of 

the contamination is on the island of Peleliu, which saw fierce 

combat between American and Japanese forces in late 1944. UXO 

contamination exists elsewhere in the island nation where U.S. 

forces bombarded Japanese bases.

The Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the 

U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

(PM/WRA) began conventional weapons destruction assistance to Palau with an $85,000 grant in FY2009 to the United 

Kingdom-based nonprofit Cleared Ground Demining (CGD). In 

FY2012 PM/WRA provided $150,000 to CGD to conduct battle 

area clearance on sites along Bloody Nose Ridge on Peleliu and to 

conduct UXO spot task removal throughout the country.

Members of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force are trained in explosive 

ordnance disposal (EOD) by Golden West Humanitarian Foundation. Here, 

two of the EOD team members cut a World War II-era projectile at the team’s 

EOD facility at Hell’s Point on Guadalcanal. 

Photo courtesy of Dave Hardison, PM/WRA, U.S. Dept. of State.

Solomon Islands 

The Solomon Islands are contaminated by unexploded ordnance (UXO) remaining from World War II. In FY2012 the Office 

of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of 

State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) granted 

$566,667 to Golden West Humanitarian Foundation (GWHF) to 

continue providing International Mine Action Standards Level 2 

Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) training and technical oversight to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force’s EOD team. 

In 2012 the U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian 

Demining Research and Development (HD R&D) Program began an operational field evaluation of the Badger armored excavator 

with GWHF. The evaluation took place in the Solomon Islands 

on Guadalcanal where U.S. and Japanese forces fought during 
TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 25

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World War II. With a suite of attachments 

for removing thick, mature tropical vegetation, deeply buried UXO, and abandoned 

explosive ordnance (AXO), the Badger began 

operations in mid-FY2012 to provide access 

to EOD teams to locate and clear UXO and 

AXO at Hells Point. This UXO and AXO 

contamination has long been a source of “fish 

bomb” material that endangers local populations and destroys fishing grounds. Valued at 

$325,000, the Badger cleared 305,000 square 

meters (75 acres) of extremely dense jungle 

vegetation in difficult terrain and found 602 

items of UXO and AXO in FY2012.

Sri Lanka 

Sri Lanka is contaminated by landmines 

and explosive remnants of war (ERW) remaining from more than three decades of 

armed conflict between the government 

and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam 

(LTTE), which sought a separate homeland 

in the north and east. After the war ended 

in 2009, demining activities immediately 

commenced; however, mine and ERW contamination remains a critical impediment 

to the resettlement of internally displaced 

persons (IDP) and development initiatives. 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, approximately 

116,000 IDPs remain in the country. The vast 

majority of IDPs live with host families while 

others live in welfare centers and transit 

camps. The widespread presence of mines and 

unexploded ordnance (UXO) presents an ongoing threat to the safety of returnees and the 

long-term security of Sri Lanka. 

From FY2002 through FY2012 the 

United States invested more than $35 million 

in conventional weapons destruction (CWD) 

programs in Sri Lanka to clear and safely dispose of mines, UXO, and excess weapons and 

munitions. Directed through several international partner organizations, this assistance 

has made significant progress toward restoring 

access to land and infrastructure, developing 

national capacity to manage CWD programs 

independently, and protecting communities 

from potential risks.

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal 

and Abatement in the U.S. Department of 

State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Humanitarian Demining Training 

Center (HDTC) is located at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and is the training and 

information center for the U.S. Government’s Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) 

program. Established in 1996, HDTC trains and prepares U.S. forces for overseas 

deployment in support of DOD HMA strategy to provide training and education in 

explosive remnants of war (ERW) disposal. 

Training at HDTC develops the ability of U.S. forces to provide ERW disposal 

instruction in a train-the-trainer format, with emphasis on the operational 

procedures and practices of partner nations’ HMA programs. Training is provided 

to partner nations accepted into the U.S. HMA program. Training is conducted in 

accordance with U.S. law, policy, and the International Mine Action Standards. 

Upon completion of the HMA basic course, students are required to demonstrate 

proficiency in subjects ranging from basic deminer tasks to ERW disposal.

HDTC is funded by Overseas Humanitarian Disaster and Civic Aid (OHDACA). 

U.S. forces use OHDACA funding to attend HDTC HMA courses and conduct predeployment surveys, HMA training operations, and partner-nation training. 

Since its inception, HDTC graduates have performed train-the-trainer missions in 44 nations supporting the U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Central Command, 

U.S. European Command, U.S. Pacific Command, and U.S. Southern Command 

HMA programs.

Point of Contact:

Jonathan D. Green, Director

U.S. Department of Defense

Humanitarian Demining Training Center

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri 65473

USA

telephone: +1 573 563 6199

email: leon.dscapgmhd@conus.army.mil

website: www.wood.army.mil/hdtc

U.S. Department of Defense 

Humanitarian Demining 

Training Center

An operator working in a training lane during a practical exercise at HDTC.

Photo courtesy of HDTC.
26 TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY

ASIA

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(PM/WRA) provided $4.8 million to Sri Lanka for CWD 

programs that cleared landmines and UXO and provided mine risk 

education (MRE) as follows:

•	 Danish Demining Group deployed seven manual demining 

teams, one survey team, and three mechanical ground 

preparation teams to clear land in the northern and eastern 

provinces for emergency resettlement. 

•	 The HALO Trust returned more than 500,000 square meters 

(124 acres) of land to communities for emergency resettlement 

in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. 

•	 MAG (Mines Advisory Group) returned more than one 

million square meters (247 acres) of land to communities for 

emergency resettlement in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. 

•	 Marshall Legacy Institute provided training and mentoring 

to the Sri Lanka Army’s Humanitarian Demining Unit mine 

detection dog program. 

•	 Fondation Suisse de Déminage (Swiss Foundation for Mine

Action) returned more than 700,000 square meters (173 acres) 

of land to communities for emergency resettlement in northern 

and eastern Sri Lanka. 

•	 UNICEF provided MRE to resettling communities.

In FY2012 U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) deployed 

four subject-matter experts to Sri Lanka to conduct a program

development visit to analyze and develop future humanitarian mine 

action train-the-trainer events. Funding for travel-related costs 

totaled $42,047. The U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian 

Demining Training Center (HDTC) deployed two experts to Sri 

Lanka in direct support of USPACOM’s program development 

visit. Overseas Humanitarian Disaster Assistance and Civic Aid 

funded the HDTC travel costs, totaling $9,229.

Also in FY2012 the U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian 

Demining Research and Development (HD R&D) Program, in 

partnership with MAG, continued an evaluation of the Improved 

Backhoe system. The equipment, valued at $220,000, 

provides area preparation, area reduction, and 

mine clearance capabilities to release villages and 

agricultural land to returning IDPs. The Improved 

Backhoe has cleared vegetation from 68,000 cubic 

meters (88,941 cubic yards) of land and sifted 40,000 

cubic meters (52,318 cubic yards) of soil, uncovering 

1,600 mines.

Tajikistan 

Landmine contamination in Tajikistan remains 

along the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border from the 

Soviet Army’s border defense operations during its 

1979–1989 occupation of Afghanistan and in central 

areas of Tajikistan from the 1992–1997 civil war. 

Uzbekistan also continues to mine the TajikistanUzbekistan border piecemeal, with new minefields created as 

recently as 2012. As a result of years of conflict, as well as the 

porous border with Afghanistan, a large quantity of ammunition 

and weapons in Tajikistan are poorly secured, hindering national 

and regional security. 

Through FY2012 the United States has invested more than $6.8 

million in conventional weapons destruction (CWD) programs 

in Tajikistan for clearance and the safe disposal of landmines, 

unexploded ordnance (UXO), and excess weapons and munitions. 

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement 

in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military 

Affairs (PM/WRA) provided $1,691,120 to Tajikistan for CWD 

programs that cleared landmines and UXO, developed host-nation 

capacity, and provided victim assistance as follows:

•	 Fondation Suisse de Déminage (Swiss Foundation for Mine Action or FSD) continued CWD activities, including land survey 

and explosive remnants of war clearance, through the deployment of one multi-purpose demining team. FSD continued the 

deployment of two weapons and ammunition disposal (WAD) 

teams to conduct operations in coordination with the government 

of Tajikistan. To date, Tajikistan’s Ministry of Defense (MOD) 

has given FSD approximately 100 tons of ammunition for destruction and is promising another 100 tons in the near future. 

FSD also contributed to the development of victim assistance 

programs and information management within the Tajikistan 

Mine Action Centre (TMAC).

•	 Norwegian People’s Aid expanded manual mine clearance 

capacities and technical survey operations along the TajikistanAfghanistan border.

•	 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

(OSCE) strengthened national humanitarian demining capacities and their operational deployment along the TajikistanAfghanistan border.

Also in FY2012, the U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian 

Demining Research and Development (HD R&D) Program, in 

partnership with Tajikistan’s MOD, TMAC, the U.S. Embassy’s 

Morning safety briefing for Mine Action Team 10, an all-female demining team 

funded by PM/WRA in Mullativu district, Sri Lanka. Of the 360,000 IDPs all but 

6,000 have been able to return home and safely rebuild their lives thanks to the 

work achieved by MAG, other NGOs, and Sri Lankan military clearance teams.

Photo courtesy of Sean Sutton/MAG.
TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 27

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Office of Military Cooperation, and OSCE, completed a fieldtrial evaluation of the Mini MineWolf, a remote-controlled, earthtilling system capable of clearing anti-personnel and anti-tank 

landmines. With the help of the Mini MineWolf, the demining 

team surveyed and cleared 532,000 square meters (132 acres) of 

land and found or destroyed 793 mines and items of UXO along 

the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border. 

Using Foreign Military Financing (FMF), Tajikistan’s MOD 

procured its own Mini MineWolf, delivered in 2011. In 2012 

the MOD requested to include an additional year of field service 

support, a remote camera, and a mobile maintenance workshop, 

expected for delivery in late spring 2013. This FMF grant assistance totals $1.2 million. In coordination with OSCE, the U.S. 

Embassy is also requesting $100,000 in extra budgetary funding 

for additional parts and spares, and is exploring long-term parts 

assistance and the eventual incorporation of the mechanical and 

manual demining groups into MOD’s peacekeeping unit as a deployable U.N. niche capability.

Additionally, the Leahy War Victims Fund of the U.S. Agency 

for International Development provided $1.5 million to Tajikistan 

in FY2012 to strengthen the country’s rehabilitation services.

FSD staff in Tajikistan place shells in an incinerator to be destroyed. 

Photo courtesy of FSD.

Thailand 

Threatening national and regional security, Thailand’s borders 

with Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and Malaysia are contaminated with 

landmines and explosive remnants of war. The 700 kilometer (435 

mile) Thai-Cambodian border still contains extensive contamination—including ammunition and grenade caches, mortar shells, 

and unexploded ordnance—left behind by Cambodian non-state 

actors in the 1980s and 1990s. 

In FY2012 the U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian Demining Research and Development (HD R&D) Program 

partnered with the Thailand Mine Action Center to continue operational field evaluations of several mechanical technologies in 

Thailand. The technologies that concluded evaluations, including 

the remote-controlled Tempest, Survivable Demining Tractors, 

and Uni-Disk Excavator, have cleared 6.4 million square meters 

(2.5 square miles) of suspected hazardous areas over the last decade. 

Evaluations of the small remote-controlled Wolverine Vegetation 

Cutter and Beaver Mini-excavator continued, clearing vegetation 

from 460,000 square meters (114 acres) to date. Total assistance is 

valued at $1.5 million.

Vietnam 

As a result of 30 years of conflict, extending from World War II 

through the Vietnam War, virtually all of Vietnam is contaminated 

to some extent by explosive remnants of war (ERW). The most 

heavily contaminated provinces are Quang Tri and Quang Binh, 

along the former Demilitarized Zone, and Ha Tinh, north of 

Quang Binh. Mined areas also remain in some parts of southern 

Vietnam, as well as along its border with China. A 2008 report 

by Vietnam’s Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs 

(MoLISA) claimed that ERW and landmines killed 38,849 

and injured 65,852 people from 1975 to 2007. The Vietnamese 

government is demonstrating a gradual openness to greater activity 

in the mine action sector, evidenced by the opening of Quang Nam 

province to mine action activities in 2012.

From FY1993 through FY2012 the United States invested 

almost $65.5 million in Vietnam to clear and dispose of landmines 

and unexploded ordnance (UXO), assist landmine and UXO 

survivors, improve access to land and infrastructure, and support 

the development of national capacity for conventional weapons 

destruction (CWD).

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in 

the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

(PM/WRA) provided $4,032,296 to Vietnam for CWD programs 

as follows:

•	 Catholic Relief Services continued mine risk education 

(MRE) and victim assistance in Quang Tri and Quang Binh.

•	 Clear Path International implemented integrated victim assistance projects in 19 provinces.

•	 Golden West Humanitarian Foundation (GWHF) provided expert consulting to the Center for Bomb and Mine 
28 TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY

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105 90 75 60 45 30 15

Disposal Technology (BOMICEN) and 

the Vietnam Bomb and Mine Clearance 

Action Center (VBMAC). GWHF also 

supported the deployment of technology funded by the U.S. Department of 

Defense (DOD).

•	 International Center of the Vietnam

Veterans of America Foundation continued to provide technical advice and support to BOMICEN and VBMAC.

•	 Humpty Dumpty Institute supported 

“Mushrooms with a Mission,” a microcredit program aimed at the socioeconomic reintegration of survivors.

•	 MAG (Mines Advisory Group) continued mobile ERW clearance in Quang 

Binh and expanded its mobile ERW 

clearance into Quang Nam.

•	 Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) managed a provincial mine action database in Quang Tri.

•	 PeaceTrees Vietnam maintained two mobile explosive ordnance disposal team operations in Quang Tri.

•	 Vietnam Assistance Program arranged integrated risk education.

In FY2012 the U.S. DOD Humanitarian Demining Research 

and Development (HD R&D) Program, in partnership with 

MAG, continued an operational field evaluation of Vegetation 

Cutters, cutting 139,000 square meters (34 acres) of vegetation. 

The Vegetation Cutters provide critical access to manual clearance 

teams in densely vegetated areas. NPA, in partnership with the 

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s Project RENEW, evaluated 

an Armored Excavator in area-preparation and clearance roles. 

Total assistance is valued at $300,000.

More Support in Asia

The U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the 

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) provided 

additional support in FY2012 in Asian countries that did not 

receive funding from other U.S. conventional weapons destruction programs.

In FY2012 DTRA provided the following support in 

Bangladesh and Turkmenistan:

•	 Bangladesh: In March 2012, at the request of the U.S. Office 

of Defense Cooperation in Dhaka, the DTRA Small Arms 

and Light Weapons (SA/LW) Program conducted a physical 

security and stockpile management (PSSM) executive seminar 

in Bangladesh. The seminar oriented 25 senior decisionmakers to international PSSM best practices and assisted them 

with improving the security, safety, and management of their 

SA/LW stockpiles.

•	 Turkmenistan: At the request of the Organization for Security 

Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the DTRA SA/LW Program 

led two multinational teams to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, to conduct executive and technical level PSSM seminars. The seminars 

were sponsored by the OSCE Office in Ashgabat, and the teams 

trained more than 50 members from the Turkmenistan Ministry 

of Defense in best practices and procedures for arms, ammunition, and explosives storage safety and security. Instructors 

were coordinated through the Multinational Small Arms and 

Ammunition Group and included PSSM experts from DTRA, 

Canada, Germany, and Switzerland.

The USAID Leahy War Victims Fund also funded the following rehabilitation efforts in Asia:

•	 Nepal received $1 million to improve the quality of 

rehabilitation treatment services through training and capacity 

building and to support treatment and community-based 

rehabilitation services for people with disabilities. 

•	 India was granted $300,000 to provide rehabilitative services 

and to build the capacity of approximately 1,000 rehabilitation professionals in eight conflict-affected north and northeastern states.

White oyster mushrooms are being grown inside the Communal Grow House 

located in the Mushroom Center in Cam Lo district, Vietnam, as part of the 

“Mushrooms with a Mission” microcredit program. The communal growing 

house is intended to offer UXO-affected, poor families a unique and 

pleasant social environment in which to work and to earn good incomes. 

Photo courtesy of Project Renew.
TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 29

he International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) provide 

a framework to ensure that mine action programs are safely 

and efficiently planned, managed, and implemented. The 

guidelines offered by IMAS help coordinate mine action activities 

that are often divided among multiple actors, whether national 

or international, governmental or humanitarian. Offering an 

overview of internationally accepted standards and best practice, 

IMAS provide a consistent point of reference for mine action 

programs around the world.

IMAS are designed to be used as a reference, rather than as an 

inflexible set of rules, to guide the creation and implementation of 

national mine action standards. These standards guide clearance 

operations and must flexibly meet the varying realities of affected 

communities around the world.

IMAS are organized into 14 series, or categories. Each series 

provides detailed information on best practices for specific 

areas of mine action, covering topics ranging from information 

management to land release and from landmine/explosive 

remnants of war (ERW) risk education to stockpile destruction.

Series 1 through 6 provide general guidelines and background 

information. The first three series address the application of 

IMAS, the establishment of mine action programs, and equipment 

testing and evaluation. Series 4 contains a glossary of key terms, 

and Series 5 focuses on information management.

The International 

Mine Action Standards 

The next two series focus on the management of mine action 

programs. Series 6 addresses the management of training, and 

Series 7 offers detailed guidelines regarding the management of 

contracts and accreditation and the monitoring of organizations 

and operations.

The remaining six series focus on specific mine action tasks. 

Series 8 and 9 address land release and mine/ERW clearance. 

Standards for deminer safety and occupational health are covered 

in Series 10, while Series 11 concentrates on mine/ERW stockpile 

destruction. Guidelines for planning and implementing mine/

ERW risk education are provided in Series 12. Series 13, on 

victim assistance, has not yet been incorporated into recent IMAS 

revisions. The evaluation of mine action programs is covered in 

Series 14, the final IMAS series.

The IMAS were developed at the request of the mine action 

community. In March 1997 the United Nations Mine Action 

Service (UNMAS) introduced the International Standards for 

Humanitarian Mine Clearance Operations, which were developed 

by a working group led by the United Nations. The original 

standards were expanded, redeveloped, and launched as IMAS 

in October 2001 with the support of the Geneva International 

Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD). The IMAS 

continue to evolve, and GICHD, on behalf of UNMAS, updates 

and maintains the standards. Relatedly, GICHD coordinates 

technical committees tasked with amending the existing standards 

as needed to reflect new developments in mine action and 

international regulations.

Some IMAS are translated into Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, 

French, Russian, and Spanish. The most recent IMAS in 

English and other translations are available online at www.

mineactionstandards.org. 
Ukraine

Georgia

Azerbaijan

Serbia

Armenia

Croatia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Albania

Montenegro

Kosovo

Bulgaria

Estonia

Lithuania

Czech 

Republic

Moldova

Romania

Macedonia

Received U.S. CWD support in FY2012

Received support in the past

Mine impact-free with U.S. assistance

Total U.S. Conventional Weapons Destruction Funding 

In Europe From All U.S. Agencies, 1993–2012

$319,832,000

Albania 10.54%

Armenia 3.43%

Azerbaijan 9.23%

Bosnia & Herzegovina 28.85%

Bulgaria 2.57%

Croatia 10.61%

Cyprus 0.003%

Czech Republic 0.19%

Estonia 1.36%

Georgia 9.34%

Kosovo 9.11%

Lithuania 0.16%

Macedonia 0.62%

Moldova 0.02%

Montenegro 2.33%

Romania 0.79%

Serbia 4.31%

Serbia & Montenegro 1.77%

Ukraine 4.76%

Percentage of 

total regional 

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TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 31

The second smallest continent, Europe is the birth place 

of Western civilization. Today, 28 of Europe’s countries are 

members of the European Union, and 26 members of NATO 

are European. In the last two decades, Central and Eastern Europe 

have undergone profound political and economic transitions since 

the fall of the Soviet Union and the break-up of Yugoslavia in the 

1990s. Extensive landmine and battle area clearance efforts, largely 

supported by the United States, have made much of Eastern Europe 

mine impact-free. However, explosive remnants of war that remain 

from World War II (WWII) and the Balkan conflicts are still found 

occasionally throughout the continent. Current U.S. clearance and destruction efforts in Central Europe and the Balkans 

largely focus on stockpiles of excess arms and aging munitions and explosive remnants from WWII and the Yugoslav conflict. 

Since 1993, the U.S. has provided more than $319 million in funding to help rid the region of these dangerous legacies.

A Bulgarian military officer and J.J. Fitzgerald, a political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Sofia, gaze at the river that flows by the Chelopechene military 

depot that blew up in 2008, polluting the grounds of the depot and surrounding area, including a portion of this river, with unexploded ordnance. 

Photo courtesy of John Stevens, PM/WRA, U.S. Dept. of State.

Albania. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Armenia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Azerbaijan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Bosnia and Herzegovina . . . 34

Bulgaria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Croatia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Kosovo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Montenegro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Serbia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Ukraine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Europe

Between 1999 and 2011 U.S. CWD programs have contributed 

to a 77.9% reduction in reported landmine and ERW casualties 

in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This highlights the importance 

of the United States’ 20-year commitment 

to CWD in Europe. 

Casualty data courtesy of the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor.

1999: 

95 casualties

2011: 

21 casualties

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

77.9% reduction
32 TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY

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Albania 

Enver Hoxha’s regime in Albania, which lasted from the end of 

World War II until his death in 1985, stockpiled immense amounts 

of arms and munitions throughout the country. In the transitions 

of the late 1990s, looting of poorly secured or abandoned military depots resulted in the widespread proliferation of small arms 

and light weapons (SA/LW) and munitions. Highlighting the 

dangers of unstable and unsecure munitions, the Gërdec military 

depot, where some stocks of munitions were being demilitarized 

or repackaged for foreign sales, suffered catastrophic explosions in 

2008. The explosions killed 26 people and injured more than 300, 

damaged over 2,300 homes, and left extensive unexploded ordnance (UXO) contamination in the depot and surrounding area.

After the Kosovo crisis in 1998–1999, landmine contamination 

remained along Albania’s border with Kosovo. As a result of 

clearance efforts coordinated by the Albanian Mine and Munitions 

Coordination Office, including extensive U.S. support provided 

through the Slovenian-based organization ITF Enhancing Human 

Security, Albania declared itself mine-free in October 2009. 

From FY1993 through FY2012 the United States invested 

more than $33.7 million in conventional weapons destruction 

(CWD), including humanitarian mine action, in Albania.

Before and after shot at the Gërdec UXO remediation site in Albania. The giant craters left by the catastrophic explosions during the 2008 disaster 

have since been carefully cleared of UXO and filled in thanks to U.S. assistance.

Photo courtesy of John Stevens, PM/WRA, U.S. Dept. of State.

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement 

in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military 

Affairs (PM/WRA) provided $4,034,000 for the following CWD 

programs in Albania:

•	 ITF Enhancing Human Security (ITF) concluded four years 

of UXO clearance operations at the Gërdec military depot 

disaster site at the end of November 2012. ITF contracted these 

clearance operations to Sterling International (now Sterling 

Global), which hired the subcontractor EOD Solutions to 

complete the work. See the related press release at http://1.usa.

gov/YI8YEB.

•	 NATO Support Agency completed its third year of stockpile 

reduction at the Uzina e Lëndëve Plasës Mjekës (ULP Mjekës) 

facility in Albania. Funds enabled further destruction of excess 

and deteriorating munitions, including munitions derived from 

the Gërdec catastrophe site that were safe to transport and 

utilize at the Mjekës site.

At the request of the U.S. Embassy in Tirana, Albania, and 

through coordination with PM/WRA, the U.S. Defense Threat 

Reduction Agency SA/LW Program conducted a physical security 

and stockpile management (PSSM) assessment in Albania in 

October 2011. During the PSSM assessment, the team provided 

recommendations at three ammunition depots concerning 
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suitability and upgrade requirements to meet international 

standards for the long-term storage of conventional munitions. 

With U.S. support, Albania has taken giant strides toward reducing 

its stockpiles of conventional munitions.

Armenia 

During the 1992–1994 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, 

landmines were employed along Armenia’s borders with Azerbaijan. 

Armenia also possesses an unknown amount of stockpiled mines 

remaining from the Soviet era. In 2005 a landmine impact survey 

(LIS) conducted by the United Nations Development Programme 

(UNDP) identified 102 suspected hazardous areas (SHA), of 

which 50 were restricted and 52 unrestricted, covering a total area 

of 321 square kilometers (124 square miles). This data is now outof-date and new surveys are necessary to determine the true extent 

of contamination. In August 2012 The HALO Trust (HALO) 

visited 17 of the SHAs during their resurvey of the Armenian LIS 

and reduced the suspected area by 80 percent.

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in 

the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

(PM/WRA) provided $391,000 to support a resurvey of previously 

cleared areas in Armenia in order to further reduce the 102 SHAs 

identified in the 2005 LIS. The Fondation Suisse de Déminage

(Swiss Foundation for Demining or FSD) was awarded the nontechnical survey grant in September 2012. FSD, HALO, the U.S. 

Embassy in Yerevan, and the Armenian Ministry of Defense are 

currently coordinating efforts to complete the resurvey in order to 

prioritize clearance tasks.

In FY2012 the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) 

Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) Program tasked four personnel from the Kansas Army National Guard (KANG) and 

one subject-matter expert (SME) from the U.S. Department of 

Defense Humanitarian Demining Training Center (HDTC) to 

conduct a train-the-trainer course in Yerevan on basic humanitarian demining techniques for 18 Armenian military personnel, 

two national police, and two Armenian Center for Humanitarian 

Demining and Expertise (ACHDE) employees. The participants 

received a two-week course of instruction on mine action methodology, manual clearance techniques, metal detector training, and 

technical survey. HDTC also provided support to KANG perThe Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement 

in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of PoliticalMilitary Affairs (PM/WRA) granted $40,000 to the 

Regional Approach for Stockpile Reduction (RASR) 

initiative to further regional confidence-building 

and information-sharing on stockpile reduction. The 

fifth RASR workshop was held in Durrës, Albania, 

April 23–25, 2012, and gathered 40 CWD managers 

and experts from the Balkans.

sonnel before their deployment. Overseas Humanitarian Disaster 

Assistance and Civic Aid funded HDTC travel costs, both to 

Kansas to assist KANG and to Armenia, totaling $8,819.

Additionally, in September 2012 a faculty team of SMEs 

from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School provided assistance 

to ACHDE in Ejmiatsin to enhance the capacity for inter- and 

intra-agency collaboration in HMA in Armenia.

Azerbaijan 

Landmine contamination in Azerbaijan largely remains from 

the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia between 1988 and 

1994; however, abandoned Soviet-era munitions dumps and unexploded ordnance (UXO) also pose a significant threat. Conducted 

in accessible territories from September 2002 to June 2003, a landmine impact survey (LIS) identified the scope of the mine and 

UXO problem in the country. The results of the LIS indicate that 

Azerbaijan suffers from extensive mine and UXO contamination 

in the war-torn districts along the ceasefire line, on its border with 

Armenia, and in the Agstafa and Fuzuli districts. As a result of 

the LIS, resurveys, and clearance operations since 1998, the area 

of contamination was reduced to approximately 125 square kilometers (48 square miles) by the end of 2011. With additional 

land release in January–June 2012, Azerbaijan further reduced 

the estimated contaminated area in the territory it controls to approximately 112 square kilometers (43 square miles). The LIS did 

not cover areas under the control of Armenia, including NagornoKarabakh, the Nakhchivan region, and other small areas. The 

extent of the mine and UXO problem in the areas occupied by 

the Armenian forces, in the districts of Cabrayil, Kelbacar, Lacin, 

Qubadli, Zangilan, and parts of Agdam and Fuzuli, is not known 

but is expected to be severe. 

Since 2000, the United States has invested more than $29 million 

in conventional weapons destruction programs in Azerbaijan, 

supporting mine and UXO clearance, training, equipment 

procurement, and expanding humanitarian demining teams, which 

Abandoned munitions in the Agstafa region of Azerbaijan. 

Photo courtesy of ANAMA.
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include mine detection dog (MDD) teams. These funds have been 

primarily directed through the Azerbaijan National Agency of 

Mine Action (ANAMA) and have significantly reduced the area 

of contamination, restoring access to land and infrastructure.

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement 

in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military 

Affairs (PM/WRA) provided $365,000 to support mine and UXO 

clearance in Azerbaijan under the oversight of the NATO Support 

Agency. Under contract with ANAMA, the first 14-month phase 

of this 28-month project was to clear mines and UXO from 19 

square kilometers (7 square miles) of the former Soviet military 

testing facility and training field in the Jeyranchel area along the 

Azerbaijani-Georgian border. The United States is the lead donor 

nation for this project. The government of Azerbaijan is deeply 

concerned with the situation in Jeyranchel and has committed 

to contribute 50 percent of the project’s cost. ANAMA has 

completed the technical survey of the area and will complete 

clearance of 9 square kilometers (3.5 square miles) of land using 

manual, mechanical, and MDD teams. 

Bosnia and Herzegovina 

After the 1992–1995 conflict associated with the break-up 

of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina 

(BiH) suffered from the greatest degree of contamination from 

landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) in the Balkans. 

From FY1999 through FY2012 the United States invested 

more than $92 million in conventional weapons destruction 

programs in BiH for mine clearance and disposal, 

survivor assistance, mine risk education, battle 

area clearance, arms and munitions reduction, and 

the improvement of national physical security and 

stockpile management capacities.

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal 

and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s 

Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) 

granted $4.3 million to ITF Enhancing Human 

Security (ITF) to continue providing mine action 

and munitions stockpile destruction assistance 

to BiH. ITF contracted with various BiH 

demining firms and demining nongovernmental 

organizations to conduct landmine survey and 

clearance using a tender process with the aim 

of releasing a total of 1,500,000 square meters 

(371 acres). ITF also contracted with Quality 

Solutions International to perform another annual 

assessment of select demining organizations in the 

country. In addition, PM/WRA funding enabled 

Sterling International (now Sterling Global) to 

demilitarize stocks of surplus and unstable munitions in the BiH 

Ministry of Defense’s inventory. 

In September 2012 the U.S. European Command’s 

Humanitarian Mine Action Program supported three train-thetrainer missions to increase the humanitarian demining capacity 

of deminers in BiH’s armed forces. These missions were led by a 

team of active-duty personnel and graduate-studies faculty who 

are subject matter experts in the field of interagency collaboration, 

strategic communication, and collaborative leadership from the 

U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. 

Bulgaria 

Though Bulgaria declared itself mine-free in 1999, the country 

still faces security challenges from its stockpiles of excess Cold 

War-era conventional arms and munitions. Highlighting the 

dangers of the stockpiles, an ammunitions depot in Chelopechene, 

Bulgaria, near the capital Sofia, exploded catastrophically in 

2008. The explosion destroyed the depot, polluted the adjoining 

nature areas with unexploded ordnance (UXO), damaged homes 

in the surrounding area, and forced the temporary closure of the 

international airport in Sofia and part of the highway that rings 

the capital.

From FY1993 through FY2012 the United States invested 

more than $8.2 million in various forms of conventional weapons 

destruction (CWD) in Bulgaria.

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement 

in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military 

Affairs (PM/WRA) spent $1,585,000 to complete the clearance 

of UXO at the Chelopechene munitions depot blast site, enable 

private companies in Bulgaria to destroy their last stocks of 

obsolete man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) and 

John Stevens, the PM/WRA program manager for its Conventional Weapons Destruction projects in Southeast Europe, points at a PROM-1 bounding fragmentation mine during an assessment visit. This PROM-1 was 

one of many discovered by the STOP Mines nongovernmental demining organization during a technical survey in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Photo courtesy of John Stevens, PM/WRA, U.S. Dept. of State.
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related components, and dismantle their manufacturing capacity 

for these older systems. The MANPADS and related items no 

longer had serious military value but could have posed a threat to 

global aviation if they fell into the wrong hands. The final phase 

of the multi-year UXO clearance project at the Chelopechene 

depot blast site was executed through a PM/WRA grant to ITF 

Enhancing Human Security, which contracted the blast cleanup work to Sterling International (now Sterling Global). The 

underwater UXO clearance was successfully completed at the end 

of November 2012 by the Montenegrin-based Regional Center 

for Underwater Demining. 

At the request of the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense and 

coordinated by the U.S. Embassy in Sofia and PM/WRA, the 

Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Small Arms and 

Light Weapons Program led two interagency munitions depot 

assessment visits to Bulgaria in FY2012. The goal of the visits was 

to assess and offer recommendations on improving ammunition 

physical security and stockpile management (PSSM) practices 

and procedures as Bulgaria works to reduce and consolidate large 

quantities of excess ammunition and explosives. During these 

week-long assessments and after a subsequent FY2013 assessment 

visit, DTRA, PM/WRA, and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory 

provided thorough interagency assessments of Bulgarian army, 

navy, and air force ammunition storage sites. At the end of each 

visit, the teams recommended practical and procedural PSSM 

Close up of the patch on the sleeve of a Sterling International (now Sterling 

Global) explosive ordnance disposal specialist at the Chelopechene 

(Bulgaria) disaster site.

Photo courtesy of John Stevens, PM/WRA, U.S. Dept. of State.

improvements and provided the U.S. Embassy and the Bulgarian 

government with a formal report concerning suitability and 

specific requirements to upgrade selected sites to meet NATO and 

international standards.

Croatia 

Croatia emerged from the Yugoslav conflicts (1991–1995) 

as the second-most landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) 

affected country in the Balkans. 

Despite sustained clearance activities, Croatia is not yet mine 

impact-free. Through its own extensive efforts, including properly budgeting for mine action, combined with assistance from the 

United States and other public and private donors, Croatia has 

achieved remarkable success and developed significant national 

mine action capacity. However, while it has made great strides 

in mine action and battle area clearance, Croatia’s stockpiles of 

Cold War-era munitions continue to age beyond their usefulness. Some of Croatia’s munitions depots need to be upgraded 

or closed to reduce the chance of unplanned explosions and also 

to reduce the financial burden of security and maintenance. In 

2011, a brush fire caused a munitions depot near the town of 

Knin to explode, destroying the depot, forcing the temporary 

evacuation of nearby villages, and polluting the immediate site 

and environs with UXO. The Croatian military has been cleaning up the area since the explosion.

From FY1993 through FY2012 the United States invested 

more than $33.8 million in conventional weapons destruction 

(CWD), including humanitarian mine action, in Croatia.

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in 

the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

The plot of land to the left is being farmed safely and productively in northern Croatia after it was cleared of landmines. The adjoining plot of land, 

overgrown with brush after it was mined during the war, could be just as 

productive once it is cleared of the “hidden killers.” 

Photo courtesy of John Stevens, PM/WRA, U.S. Dept. of State.
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(PM/WRA) granted $1.1 million to the Slovenia-based ITF 

Enhancing Human Security for the reduction of an anticipated 

250 tons of surplus ammunition and clearance of approximately 

260,000 square meters (64 acres) of mine and UXO-contaminated 

territory in four counties in Croatia.

Georgia 

Georgia continues to have explosive remnants of war (ERW) 

contamination around former Soviet military bases. Significant 

progress has been made to address the contamination along its 

administrative boundary lines with the occupied territories of 

Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which remains from intra-national 

and inter-ethnic conflicts in the regions of South Ossetia 

(1988–1992) and Abkhazia (1992–1993). In South Ossetia, 

contamination in the Gori-Tskhinvali corridor resulted from a 

week of fighting between Georgian and Russian forces in 2008. 

Notably, in November 2011, as a result of efforts supported by 

the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. 

Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/

WRA), The HALO Trust (HALO) declared all 336 known 

minefields in the Abkhazia region to be mine impact-free.

Georgia also faces threats from stockpiles of old and deteriorating 

munitions remaining from Soviet times. Conventional munitions 

destruction both bilaterally and through NATO began in 2008 

and ended in 2012. NATO is now soliciting funds for a followon project to clean up a partially exploded Georgian military 

ammunition depot and to further build the Georgian military’s 

explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) capacity. 

Since 1998, the United States has invested $29 million in conventional weapons destruction programs in Georgia aimed at training, 

clearance and safe disposal of landmines and ERW, and destruction 

of excess and aging conventional weapons and munitions.

In FY2012 PM/WRA provided $1,231,490 to HALO to 

support clearance and maintain a residual capacity in Abkhazia. 

HALO completed manual and mechanical clearance of the Soviet 

legacy minefields in Sagarejo and Akhalkalaki, clearing 27,680 

square meters (7 acres). HALO also cleared three newly discovered minefields, and is currently conducting clearance on a fourth 

minefield. In addition, HALO deployed two teams of Georgian 

deminers to survey and clear the Barisakho minefield and trained 

two teams to conduct surveys and clearance locally at Red Bridge, 

a mined border crossing between Azerbaijan and Georgia.

With PM/WRA support, HALO continued to maintain the 

residual capacity of the Abkhazia Mine Action Office (AMAO) 

and EOD emergency response teams. The EOD teams were called 

out a total of 172 times in the first eight months of 2012, and they 

An unexploded cluster munition at a battle area clearance site in Kosovo was cleared by MAT Mondial under a PM/WRA-funded grant to ITF 

Enhancing Human Security. 

Photo courtesy of John Stevens, PM/WRA, U.S. Dept. of State.
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safely disposed of 1,939 items of unexploded 

ordnance and ERW from the Abkhaz military 

stores. These teams also continued to assist the 

de facto Abkhaz authorities to destroy at-risk 

small arms. 

Kosovo 

Kosovo was contaminated in the 1990s 

by landmines and explosive remnants of war 

(ERW) from conflicts between the Kosovo 

Liberation Army and the army of the Federal 

Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). NATO 

airstrikes, which led FRY forces to withdraw 

and end the conflict, also contributed to the 

ERW contamination. Although in 2001 the 

United Nations Interim Administration in 

Kosovo declared Kosovo nearly landmine/

ERW impact-free, in subsequent years the 

degree of remaining contamination proved 

greater than originally calculated. The Kosovo 

Security Forces’ Mine Action Center and 

The HALO Trust believe the problem is 

still understated and, consequently, are 

currently conducting fresh surveys. In 

addition, unexploded ordnance (UXO) from 

World War II have been found in Kosovo. 

Regardless, Kosovo is close to achieving the 

national capacity to deal with vestigial mines 

and ERW.

Since the conflict’s conclusion in 1999 

through FY2012, the United States has 

provided more than $29.1 million for 

humanitarian mine action in Kosovo.

In FY2012, as part of its efforts to reinforce 

Kosovo’s national mine action capacity, the 

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement 

in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau 

of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) 

awarded $260,000 in support of mine and 

ERW clearance as follows: 

•	 ITF Enhancing Human Security provided training on the maintenance of mine 

detectors and Schonstedt magnetic locaters to the Kosovo Security Force’s civilian 

Mine Action Center.

•	 Sterling International (now Sterling

Global) executed a task order to procure 

and deliver three Ford Ranger 4x4 pickup 

trucks to the Kosovo Security Force’s 

civilian Mine Action Center. The trucks’ 

fuel efficiency and off-road capability will 

improve the Mine Action Center’s ability 

The illicit proliferation of conventional weapons and accidental explosions of 

stockpiles of aged and/or deteriorating munitions have the potential to cause grave 

humanitarian disasters, which can destabilize individual countries or entire regions. 

The Regional Approach to Stockpile Reduction (RASR) initiative is a coordinated 

effort to eliminate threats posed by excess, dangerously stored, poorly secured, unstable, or otherwise hazardous stockpiles of conventional weapons and munitions 

in Southeast Europe. 

RASR engages the expertise of the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency and 

the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s 

Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA), along with the Slovenia-based ITF 

Enhancing Human Security, the NATO Support Agency, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, RACVIAC Center for Security Cooperation, South 

Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light 

Weapons, Small Arms Survey, and the Swiss Implementation and Verification Unit 

of the Swiss Army.

RASR held its inaugural workshop in Zagreb, Croatia, in May 2009. In attendance were Southeastern Europe government officials who have authority on the 

management of their countries’ stockpiles, along with officials from relevant donor government agencies and various experts on arms and munitions issues. As a 

result of this workshop, RASR identified the following five priority issues related 

to stockpile reduction:

1. National and regional policy

2. Infrastructure

3. Training, education, and capacity building

4. Sharing of best practices and other information

5. Standardization of munitions classifications, surveillance systems, and 

points of contact 

Four more RASR workshops occurred between 2009 and 2012, and the sixth 

was held in Bled, Slovenia, in 2013. This latest workshop was the first to include participants at the Deputy Minister of Defense level. Representatives from the United 

States and European states have participated in one or more of these RASR workshops, which provide opportunities to network and build professional relationships, 

share practices and lessons learned, encourage regional stockpile reduction efforts 

that leverage economies of scale, obtain information on technical and financial assistance, and contribute to regional stability. 

Point of Contact:

Regional Approach to Stockpile Reduction

email: info@rasrinitiative.org

website: http://rasrinitiative.org

The Regional Approach 

to Stockpile Reduction
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to conduct quality assurance and quality control of clearance 

activities and to respond quickly to reports from citizens 

around Kosovo who discover landmines and ERW.

Montenegro 

World Wars I and II and the Yugoslav conflict in the 1990s 

left contamination from landmines and explosive remnants of war 

(ERW) in Montenegro. As a result of extensive clearance efforts 

supported by the United States, Montenegro is now largely mine 

impact-free. Despite this, Montenegro continues to face security 

challenges from large stockpiles of aging and poorly secured 

Cold War-era munitions—small arms and light weapons that it 

inherited from the former Yugoslavia.

From FY2007 through FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal 

and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of PoliticalMilitary Affairs (PM/WRA) provided more than $7.6 million in 

funding for humanitarian mine action (HMA) and conventional 

weapons destruction (CWD) programs in Montenegro.

In FY2012 PM/WRA granted $1.3 million for HMA and 

CWD efforts in Montenegro. ITF Enhancing Human Security 

was funded to assist in the disposal of surplus and unstable 

munitions that remain in Montenegrin Ministry of Defense and 

Police Directorate stocks. This final phase of assistance is currently 

under review by the United States and Montenegro.

The U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian Demining 

Training Center (HDTC), using more than $10,000 in Overseas 

Humanitarian Disaster Assistance and Civic Aid funds, deployed 

one expert to Montenegro in direct support of U.S. European 

Command’s (EUCOM) participation in Dolphin 2012. 

Operation Dolphin 2012 involved the deployment of six specially 

trained dolphins and U.S. Navy personnel, resurvey of portions of 

the Bay of Kotor, and related training for Montenegrin, Croatian, 

and Slovenian military divers. PM/WRA contributed $100,000 

for logistical costs to Dolphin 2012. 

Prior to the dolphin operation, the EUCOM HMA Program 

had partnered with the Montenegrin Navy’s Marine Detachment 

(Naval Special Warfare) unit in a September 2012 training exercise 

in which U.S. Navy explosive ordnance disposal technicians trained 

Montenegrin Navy divers to search, locate, and mark underwater ERW with global positioning system coordinates during an 

“Underwater ERW Technical Survey Train-the-Trainer Mission.” 

Serbia 

The conflicts surrounding the break-up of the Federal Republic 

of Yugoslavia in the 1990s left landmine and explosive remnants of 

war (ERW) contamination in Serbia, as did the 1999 NATO air 

strikes to force the cessation of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. Despite 

extensive clearance efforts, Serbia is not yet free from mines and 

ERW but has achieved nearly full national capacity to deal with 

remaining contamination.

From FY1993 through FY2007 the United States invested 

more than $5.6 million in conventional weapons destruction 

(CWD) programs, including humanitarian mine action in Serbia 

and Montenegro, which split into two countries in 2007. From 

FY2007 through FY2012 the United States contributed more 

than $13.7 million toward this effort in Serbia.

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in 

the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

(PM/WRA) granted $1 million to ITF Enhancing Human 

Security for humanitarian mine action and battle area clearance, 

including clearance of an anticipated 570,000 square meters (141 

acres) in central and southern Serbia and a 300 meter-wide (328 

yard) area adjoining the runway at the Ponikve airfield, which is 

suspected of being contaminated with ERW from the NATO 

bombing in 1999. Of the $1 million, $300,000 was allotted for the 

Ponikve clearance task.

Ukraine 

Excess stockpiles of small arms and light weapons (SA/LW) 

and munitions in Ukraine are being destroyed under a U.S.-led 

NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) project. In addition to the 

United States and the European Union, the following 17 donor 

countries have contributed to the project: Austria, Bulgaria, 

Canada, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, 

Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, 

Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. This is one of the 

largest weapons and munitions destruction projects in history, and 

represents the largest PfP project undertaken by NATO. 

During NATO airstrikes on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999 that led 

to the withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from Kosovo, the runway and military 

aircraft shelters at the Ponikve airfield were bombed. Now that the Ponikve 

airfield will be used for commercial airline flights to facilitate tourism to 

Serbia’s scenic western region, PM/WRA helped to fund a technical survey for 

unexploded bombs in the grassy area between the runway and the shelters, 

such as the one pictured above. No unexploded bombs were discovered in 

areas examined with PM/WRA’s funds.

Photo courtesy of John Stevens, PM/WRA, U.S. Dept. of State.
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Ukraine requested help to eliminate 

133,000 tons of munitions and 1.5 million 

SA/LW. The stockpiles, mainly dating from 

the Soviet era, are a threat to public safety 

and the environment. From 2006 to 2011, the 

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement 

in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of 

Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) provided approximately $10 million to support 

Phase I of this PfP project, which was completed in May 2011. A total of 15,000 tons of 

munitions, 400,000 SA/LW, and 1,000 manportable air-defense systems (MANPADS) 

were destroyed during Phase I. The NATO 

Support Agency executed these weapons destruction efforts on behalf of donor states.

In FY2011 the U.S. Department of 

State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

(PM/WRA) supplied $3.1 million to the PfP 

project to support the destruction of 5,000 

tons of munitions and 83,182 SA/LW, and the 

United States agreed to continue as the lead 

nation for Phase II. In FY2012 PM/WRA 

provided $1.5 million in funding for Phase 

II, which commenced in April 2012. Phase 

II involves the destruction of approximately 

3 million landmines, 76,000 tons of ammunition, and 366,000 SA/LW. As of December 

2012, 5,973 tons of ammunition and 75,388 

SA/LW items were destroyed.

First established in October 1998, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency 

(DTRA) is a combat-support agency for the U.S. Department of Defense. DTRA 

aims to reduce the global threat of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), including 

chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives. Each of 

DTRA’s several offices and departments has its own specific objectives and 

responsibilities, working together to mitigate the effects of WMD by providing 

capabilities to reduce, eliminate, and counter the threat.

In addition to its focus on WMD, DTRA works to improve physical security and 

stockpile management (PSSM) of arms, ammunition, and explosives throughout 

the world. The DTRA Small Arms and Light Weapons (SA/LW) Program aims to 

reduce proliferation by assisting foreign governments with improving the security, 

safety, and management of state-controlled stockpiles of man-portable air-defense 

systems (MANPADS), other SA/LW, and conventional ammunition. Since 2001, the 

SA/LW Program has provided assistance to 70 countries.

The Program accomplishes its objectives by employing teams of experts to 

provide foreign governments with assessments and technical advice on PSSM best 

practices. As a result, DTRA’s efforts have decreased the availability of weapons to 

terrorists and insurgents, reduced cross-border weapons transfers that threaten 

regional stability, and lowered the risk of ammunition accidents.

Point of Contact:

Defense Threat Reduction Agency

DTRA Public Affairs

8725 John J. Kingman Road

Stop 6201

Fort Belvoir, Virginia 22060-6201

USA

telephone: +1 800 701 5096

email: salw@dtra.mil

website: http://dtra.mil

U.S. Defense Threat 

Reduction Agency

A team from the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency performs a physical security and 

stockpile assessment with Bulgarian military officers at a Bulgarian munitions depot.

Photo courtesy of John Stevens, PM/WRA, U.S. Dept. of State.
Colombia

Peru

Ecuador

Argentina

Uruguay

Paraguay

Suriname

Dominican 

Republic

Haiti

Guatemala

El Salvador

Belize

Honduras

Nicaragua

Costa Rica

Chile

Received U.S. CWD support in FY2012

Received support in the past

Mine impact-free with U.S. assistance

Total U.S. Conventional Weapons Destruction Funding 

In Latin America From All U.S. Agencies, 1993–2012

$70,946,000

Argentina 0.82%

Chile 4.32%

Colombia 33.86%

El Salvador 8.29% Ecuador 12.14%

Guatemala 0.35%

Honduras 0.45%

Nicaragua 6.03%

Paraguay 0.28%

Peru 32.21%

Suriname 0.55%

Uruguay 0.28%

Belize 0.42%

Percentage of 

total regional 

funding per 

country
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Ecuador . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Peru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Home to the Andes and Amazon, the longest mountain range 

and the largest rainforest in the world, Latin America 

contains nearly 10 percent of the world’s population. 

Latin American countries have been plagued by numerous civil wars 

and conflicts with internal armed groups over the last half-century. 

Despite these challenges, Latin America has experienced economic 

growth in recent years. According to the U.S. Agency for International 

Development, poverty in Latin America has decreased from 49 to 31 

percent over the last two decades. The illicit proliferation of small 

arms and light weapons (SA/LW) greatly contributes to the region’s 

security challenges including high homicide rates in some countries and an extensive transnational drug trade. Colombia, 

the most mined country in Latin America, continues to have some of the highest incident rates in the world. Since 1993, U.S. 

conventional weapons destruction efforts have provided more than $70 million in regional support, largely focusing on mine 

clearance and curbing SA/LW trafficking.

Chile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Colombia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Children at school in Guanacaste province, Costa Rica. The United States commenced its support of mine clearance operations, mine risk education, and 

survivor assistance in Latin America in 1992. Central America became the first mine-free region in 2010.

Photo courtesy of Associated Press.

Latin America

Between 1999 and 2011 U.S. CWD programs have contributed to 

a 93.5% reduction in reported landmine and ERW casualties in 

Nicaragua.This highlights the importance of the United States’ 

20-year commitment to CWD in Latin America. 

Casualty data courtesy of the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor.

2011: 

2 casualties

CASE STUDY: NICARAGUA

1999: 

31 casualties

93.5% reduction

Regional SA/LW and PSSM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
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Chile

Chile’s borders with Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru are 

contaminated by landmines, which were laid during Augusto 

Pinochet’s regime in the 1970s. In cooperation with the Chilean 

National Demining Commission, the U.S. Department of Defense 

Humanitarian Demining Research and Development Program 

(HD R&D) continued an operational field evaluation of one MultiTooled Excavator and five Air Spade® demining digging tools in 

FY2012. These technologies represent a $450,000 investment to 

augment Chilean mine clearance activities. The Air Spades have 

demonstrated exceptional capabilities for clearing anti-tank (AT) 

mines in concrete-like soils, clearing 1,680 AT mines to date. The 

excavator has cleared 300 AT and anti-personnel (AP) mines 

from 16,000 cubic meters (20,927 cubic yards) of sediment in 

challenging riverbeds. Located next to a busy highway, the current 

objective is a dry creek bed that contains the deep, jumbled washout 

of a mixed low-metal AT and AP minefield.

Colombia

Landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) threaten 31 of 32 

departments in Colombia, largely remnants from the ongoing armed 

conflict between Colombia and non-state illegal armed groups. Since 

1990, mines and UXO have killed more than 10,000 civilians and 

military personnel. Although this number remains among the highest in the world, the annual number of landmine and UXO casualties has steadily decreased since 2007. The Victims’ Reparations and 

Land Restitution Law, passed in 2011, is the keystone of Colombia’s 

unprecedented initiative to return 6.6 million hectares of land (approximately 16 million acres) to more than 360,000 families over a 

10-year period. With participation by international nongovernmental organizations, Colombia intends to increase its military and civilian demining capacity to meet increased clearance requirements. In 

September 2012 the Colombian government initiated peace negotiations with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC); Cuba and Norway 

are guarantors, and Venezuela and Chile are observers. 

Since 2006, the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in 

the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

(PM/WRA) has spent $11.9 million for humanitarian mine action 

in Colombia. The United States supports six of the Colombian 

security force’s nine humanitarian demining platoons (formerly 

called emergency response teams) in Colombia, as well as victim 

assistance services and mine risk education (MRE).

PM/WRA funding in FY2012 totaled $3.5 million for 

the following conventional weapons destruction programs 

in Colombia:

•	 Organization of American States continued ongoing 

maintenance of six humanitarian demining platoons. 

•	 The Polus Center for Social and Economic Development

provided victim assistance services in two new departments, 

Nariño and Caldas, in partnership with the coffee industry. 

•	 Centro Integral de Rehabilitación de Colombia (Integral

Rehabilitation Center of Colombia or CIREC) continued 

The Muli-Tooled Excavator with an armor protected cab works deep in a dry creek bed to clear anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. 

Photo courtesy C. Wanner, U.S. Dept. of Defense, Humanitarian Demining Research and Development Program. 
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U.S. Quick Reaction Force

Point of Contact:

Dennis Hadrick, QRF Program Manager

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA)

U.S. Department of State

Bureau of Political-Military Affairs

SA-3, Suite 6100

2121 Virginia Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20522

USA

telephone: +1 202 663 0109

fax: +1 202 663 0090

website: http://state.gov/t/pm/wra

Since 2008, DynCorp International, a global government-service provider based 

in Falls Church, Virginia, has been supporting the Office of Weapons Removal and 

Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

(PM/WRA) with a Quick Reaction Force (QRF). The QRF is a deployable team of 

conventional weapons destruction experts that works in concert with U.S. Embassies 

and host nations to respond to critical risks posed by explosive remnants of war, 

including cluster munitions, landmines, and other types of explosive hazards. The 

QRF complements international humanitarian operations and post-conflict stability 

initiatives in the host nation, allowing them to proceed unhindered by the presence 

of explosive hazards.

QRF teams have been deployed to Bulgaria, Cyprus, Kiribati, Libya, Marshall 

Islands, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Saint Kitts, 

Tanzania, Uruguay, and Vietnam. After a QRF Assessment Team enters an area 

to assess the situation, it develops tentative disposal plans and identifies and 

coordinates logistics for the QRF Operational Element, which conducts necessary 

disposal operations. In addition to these operations, QRF mentors and trains local 

forces on disposal operations, including how to safely and effectively handle, store, 

and dispose of hazards such as small arms and light weapons and man-portable airdefense systems (MANPADS).

A member of PM/WRA’s Quick Reaction Force inspects World War II-era projectiles 

found on Tarawa Reef in Kiribati. 

Photo courtesy of the Quick Reaction Force.

supporting three medical brigades and 

three new military demining platoons. 

Funding is now primarily concentrated 

around demined communities. CIREC 

provides integrated rehabilitation services, medical services, psychosocial 

support, educational opportunities, and 

direct financial assistance to civilians affected by armed conflict.

•	 Campaña Colombiana Contra Minas

(Colombia Campaign to Ban Landmines)

continued its MRE project, which aims to 

strengthen local capacity for mine action 

through awareness-raising and empowerment training for local authorities, social 

organizations, and community groups.

•	 The HALO Trust received final certification in 2012, and in 2013 plans to initiate 

operational clearance of 14 minefields.

At the request of the U.S. Military 

Group and the government of Colombia, 

in September 2012 the U.S. Defense Threat 

Reduction Agency (DTRA) Small Arms and 

Light Weapons (SA/LW) Program conducted a physical security and stockpile management (PSSM) assessment visit to Colombia. 

The team assessed the PSSM practices and 

procedures used at six SA/LW storage sites 

of the Colombian army, air force, navy, and 

national police. The DTRA team also provided recommendations on the safe storage 

of ammunition and explosives and outlined 

security priorities for implementation. 

The visit reduced proliferation by assisting 

Colombia with improving the security, safety, 

and management of its SA/LW stockpiles. 

In FY2012 a U.S. Southern Command 

(USSOUTHCOM) mobile training team 

conducted a train-the-trainer course for 26 

members of the Colombian armed forces. The 

course taught improved clearance techniques, 

reducing the number of personnel needed 

to clear a hazardous area, which in turn enabled operating procedure development, operational safety, and the deployment of more 

operational teams. The U.S. Department of 

Defense Humanitarian Demining Training 

Center (HDTC) deployed one expert in direct 

support of this training. The USSOUTHCOM 

Humanitarian Mine Action Program’s total 

cost for mission support, travel, and equipment was $149,431. Overseas Humanitarian 
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Disaster Assistance and Civic Aid (OHDACA) funded the HDTC 

travel costs, totaling $4,366.

HDTC also deployed three experts to Fort Benning, Georgia, 

in direct support of the Western Hemisphere Institute for 

Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) Humanitarian Mine Action 

course. The experts conducted two train-the-trainer courses via 

WHINSEC’s mobile-training team for a total of 54 national 

police and soldiers from Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru on basic 

humanitarian demining techniques. OHDACA funded these 

travel costs, totaling $4,885.

Also in FY2012 the Leahy War Victims Fund of the U.S. 

Agency for International Development provided $600,000 in 

scholarship support through the new International Society for 

Prosthetics and Orthotics accredited school to train Colombian 

nationals from the most mine-affected regions of the country in 

prosthetics and orthotics.

Ecuador

In 1995 a brief conflict between Peru and Ecuador left both sides 

of the border heavily mined, especially in the Ecuadorian provinces 

of El Oro, Loja, Morona-Santiago, and Zamora-Chinchipe. As a 

guarantor of the peace, the United States committed to providing 

assistance to both countries. Continued cooperation between the 

United States and Ecuador in conventional weapons destruction 

(CWD) has also led to the destruction of excess man-portable 

air-defense systems (MANPADS), small arms and light weapons 

(SA/LW), and other munitions. 

From 2000 to 2004 the United States provided approximately $5 

million in humanitarian mine action (HMA) assistance to Ecuador 

for lowland coastal demining. In 2010 the United States 

procured $500,000 in radios and communications technology through the Organization of American States 

(OAS) for Ecuador’s HMA program and provided 

$750,000 in contractor support for SA/LW destruction and training. Also in 2010 the Office of Weapons 

Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of 

State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) 

provided resources to destroy obsolete weapons and offered initial basic training for an Ecuadorian explosive 

ordnance disposal team to conduct internal destruction 

programs. In September 2012 a PM/WRA grant from 

FY2011 to OAS provided $500,000 in demining equipment to Ecuador.

At the request of the U.S. Military Group, the U.S. 

Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) SA/LW 

Program conducted two physical security and stockpile 

management (PSSM) technical seminars in Ecuador in 

October 2011. The first seminar was held in Quito and 

attended by 19 military participants, while the second was 

held in Manta and attended by 22 military participants. 

As a follow-up to these missions, a DTRA SA/LW team 

returned to Ecuador in September 2012 to conduct two 

additional PSSM technical seminars. The first seminar 

was at the request of the U.S. Military Group and attended by 38 

participants from the Ecuadorian military. The second was held at 

the request of the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service and 

attended by 28 participants from the Ecuadorian police force. The 

goals of these seminars were to orient Ecuador’s operational staff with 

international PSSM best practices and assist them with improving 

the security, safety, and management of their SA/LW stockpiles.

In FY2012 a U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) 

mobile training team conducted a train-the-trainer course for 

A sign and armed guard warn of landmine danger in Colombia.

Photo courtesy of Ed Trimakas, PM/WRA, U.S. Dept. of State.

Twenty-six Schiebel ATMID all-terrain mine detectors donated through OAS 

as part of a $500,000 U.S. contribution to demining activities in Ecuador.

Photo courtesy of Organization of American States.
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15 members of the Ecuadorian armed 

forces. The courses taught improved clearance techniques, reducing the number of 

personnel needed to clear a hazardous 

area, which in turn enabled operating procedure development, operational safety, 

and the deployment of more operational 

teams. The U.S. Department of Defense 

Humanitarian Demining Training Center 

(HDTC) deployed one expert in direct support of this training. The USSOUTHCOM 

HMA Program’s total cost for mission support, travel, and equipment was $275,518. 

Overseas Humanitarian Disaster Assistance 

and Civic Aid funded the HDTC travel 

costs, totaling $7,645. To read about additional HDTC training support for humanitarian demining in Ecuador, see the country 

profile on Colombia.

Also in FY2012 the U.S. Department of 

Defense Humanitarian Demining Research 

and Development (HD R&D) Program, in 

cooperation with the National Demining 

Center of Ecuador, the Ecuadorian Army 

Demining Command, and OAS, completed 

an evaluation of technology to clear mines 

along a rocky riverbank to provide safe access 

to the river. Floods dispersed low-metal mines 

among mine-sized rocks, which are themselves capable of triggering standard mine detectors. The HD R&D Program’s mechanical 

solution, an Orbital Sifter and Crusher valued 

at $235,000, sifted soil from seven sites covering 11,000 square meters (3 acres).

Peru

During a brief conflict between Peru and 

Ecuador in 1995, the five Peruvian regions 

of Amazonas, Cajamarca, Loreto, Piura, and 

Tumbes were mined. Peruvian records indicate 

that 31,405 mines remain in Cordillera del 

CÓndor, the most heavily mined area along 

Peru’s border with Ecuador. The national 

police also emplaced anti-personnel mines 

during the 1980s and 1990s around four 

prisons to protect critical infrastructure 

against attacks from subversive movements 

such as Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path or 

SL). More recently, SL has resorted to using 

improvised explosive devices (IED) and 

booby traps in the drug-producing Apurimac 

and Ene River Valley. 

The Patrick J. Leahy War Victims Fund (LWVF), managed by the United States 

Agency for International Development (USAID), has been the foundation of U.S. 

efforts to respond to the needs of civilian victims of conflict in war-affected 

developing countries since its creation in 1989. LWVF provides a dedicated source 

of financial and technical assistance for people with disabilities, particularly those 

who have sustained mobility-related injuries from explosive remnants of war 

(ERW), anti-personnel landmines, and other direct and indirect causes of disability, 

including preventable diseases that might result from interrupted immunization 

campaigns. To date, LWVF has provided over $200 million in assistance to more 

than 40 countries.

Over time, the scope of LWVF has expanded from its original focus on delivering 

immediate care to include a myriad of development programs that accommodate 

the changing needs of the populations they serve, as well as establishing the 

foundations for sustainable services in developing countries. It contributes to the 

design and enforcement of international standards to ensure that practitioners 

who provide care to survivors are competent. In addition, LWVF ensures that 

treatment and equipment are used effectively to increase the mobility of people 

with disabilities around the world.

In FY2012 LWVF contributed to programs in Cambodia, Colombia, Democratic 

Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, 

Nepal, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, and Vietnam, as well as to 

numerous regional and international initiatives spanning multiple countries.

Moreover, through two other programs specifically focused on helping 

wheelchair users (some disabled as a result of ERW) and a broader group of 

people with disabilities, USAID provided an additional $10.2 million in FY2012 

in more than 30 countries, including Georgia, Iraq, Jordan, Kosovo, Montenegro, 

Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe.

Point of Contact:

Rob Horvath, Manager

Leahy War Victims Fund

U.S. Agency for International Development

Washington, D.C. 20523

USA

U.S. Agency for International 

Development’s Leahy War Victims Fund

telephone: +1 202 712 5239

email: rhorvath@usaid.gov

website: http://transition.usaid.gov/

 our_work/humanitarian_assistance/the_funds/lwvf/
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Peru’s national humanitarian mine action (HMA) goal is to 

become mine-free by 2017, as outlined in its 2011 strategic plan. 

Similar to other countries in the region, Peru also faces challenges 

from illicit small arms and light weapons proliferation. In May 

2012 a La República report indicated that more than 1,000 weapons 

declared as taken out of circulation by the Peruvian Air Force were 

in reality sold to Colombian guerrilla groups.

From 2000 to 2004 the United States provided $5 million in 

HMA assistance to Peru through an Organization of American 

States (OAS) program to support lowland coastal and utility 

tower demining within Peru. From 2007 to 2012 the United 

States provided another $8 million to support jungle and prison 

demining and victim assistance.

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement 

in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military 

Affairs (PM/WRA) provided $1 million to the Polus Center 

for Social and Economic Development to support operational 

demining in Peru. This funding covered 12 months of support for 

one technical expert working with the Centro Peruano de Acción 

contra las Minas Antipersonales (Peruvian Mine Action Center or 

CONTRAMINAS) and select costs for Peruvian deminers. This 

grant also supported the final transition and turnover of the HMA 

program to Peruvian demining authorities. Peru will take over 

complete responsibility for its HMA program in 2013 with no 

additional PM/WRA funding for HMA.

Additionally, see the country profile on Colombia to read 

about the U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian Demining 

Training Center’s work in support of 

HMA in Peru in 2012.

Regional SA/LW 

Marking, Destruction 

and PSSM

Unstable and unsecure arms and 

munitions as well as the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SA/LW) contribute to security 

challenges throughout Latin America. 

El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras suffer some of the world’s highest 

murder rates due to their location along 

the drug trade corridor from Colombia 

to Mexico. The high availability of arms 

can be linked to elevated homicide rates 

throughout the region. 

At least six unplanned explosions 

occurred at munitions sites in Central 

America between January 1998 and 

April 2012. The use of old weapons and 

munitions threatens public security and 

heightens the threat of accidental explosions, such as the one that 

occurred in May 2000 at a San Salvador military storage facility, 

which injured more than 40 people and damaged 700 houses. 

From 2009 through 2011 the United States invested $1.6 

million in the United Nations Regional Center for Peace, 

Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the 

Caribbean (UNLIREC) to implement physical security and 

stockpile management (PSSM) in eight Caribbean countries: 

Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, 

Dominican Republic, Grenada, and Guyana. This funding included 

$725,000 in 2011, which carried over into 2012. 

Also in 2009 a two-year grant to provide marking equipment 

and related training to 26 countries in the hemisphere was 

awarded to the Organization of American States (OAS). With 

these machines, tens of thousands of firearms throughout the 

hemisphere are being marked with unique identifying information, 

increasing the region’s capacity to trace firearms and identify illicit 

trafficking routes and suppliers. 

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement 

in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military 

Affairs (PM/WRA) provided $1,738,000 to the U.S. Bureau of 

Western Hemisphere Affairs for a combination of SA/LW and 

PSSM initiatives:

•	 El Salvador received $988,000 for the following activities:

» MAG (Mines Advisory Group) verified a security report from 

the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and procured PSSM material and equipment for nine military depots.

» Sterling International (now Sterling Global) provided conventional weapons destruction, training, consulting, and 

A mine detection dog team prepares to work in the Cenepa region of Peru. 

Photo courtesy of David Bruce, PM/WRA, U.S. Dept. of State.
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enhancement and renovation for nine military depots to improve security and reduce the threat of unintended munitions 

detonation in El Salvador.

•	 Belize received $300,000 for PSSM procurement and stockade 

enhancement based on a DTRA assessment.

•	 Guatemala received $250,000 for a project by OAS to destroy 

250 tons of ammunition and 12,000 SA/LW at 14 Guatemalan 

military depots.

•	 OAS received additional funding to continue its regional arms 

control efforts. Priority attention was focused on three key areas: 

strengthening the capacity of governments to better secure civilian 

and military stockpiles; increasing the capacity of governments 

to mark firearms at point of manufacture and/or import, as well 

as to trace firearms recovered at crime scenes; and promoting, 

among key stakeholders at the national, regional, and subregional 

levels, the exchange of information and experiences on firearmsrelated issues within the framework of the Inter-American 

Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking 

in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Related Materials.

Also in 2012 the DTRA SA/LW Program organized 

the following PSSM activities in the region to reduce illicit 

proliferation and increase safety and security through improved 

PSSM practices and procedures:

•	 Belize: In February 2012, at the request of the Belize Defense 

Force and in response to the recent theft of arms from a storage 

facility, the DTRA SA/LW Program conducted a PSSM assessment visit in Belize. The team assessed the PSSM practices 

and procedures used at Belize’s SA/LW storage sites, provided 

recommendations on the safe storage of arms, ammunition, and 

explosives, and outlined security priorities for implementation. 

•	 Caribbean: In July 2012, at the request of the U.S. Military 

Liaison Office responsible for the Eastern Caribbean, the 

DTRA SA/LW Program conducted PSSM assessment visits 

to Dominica, Grenada, and Saint Lucia. As time permitted, the 

team also presented PSSM seminar modules that were relevant 

to each host country’s needs. 

•	 El Salvador: In January and February 2012, at the request of 

PM/WRA and the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador, the DTRA 

SA/LW Program conducted a PSSM assessment visit in El 

Salvador. As part of a Department of Defense assistance 

package, the DTRA team provided recommendations on the 

serviceability of munitions scheduled for destruction and suggested upgrades needed to enhance the physical security at 

weapons and ammunition storage facilities. 

•	 Haiti: In January 2012, at the request of the Haitian National 

Police, the DTRA SA/LW Program conducted a PSSM 

assessment visit in Haiti. Following the assessment, the DTRA 

team conducted a PSSM technical seminar for 32 operational 

staff working directly with weapons and munitions. 

•	 Honduras: In June 2012, at the request of the U.S. Military 

Group, the DTRA SA/LW Program conducted a PSSM 

executive seminar in Honduras. The seminar oriented 41 

senior decision-makers from the armed forces of Honduras to 

international PSSM best practices. 

•	 Paraguay: In November 2011, at the request of the U.S. Office 

of Defense Cooperation, the DTRA SA/LW Program conducted a PSSM technical seminar in Paraguay, which oriented 

34 operational staff working directly with weapons and munitions to international PSSM best practices and assisted them 

with improving the security, safety, and management of their 

SA/LW stockpiles. 

Also in FY2012 the Leahy War Victims Fund of the U.S. 

Agency for International Development provided $500,000 to El 

Salvador to support the provision of scholarships and training for 

rehabilitation professionals in the region, especially in Haiti.

Small arms and light weapons (SA/LW) voluntarily turned in to the Haitian National Police. In January 2012, at the request of the Haitian National Police, the 

U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency SA/LW Program conducted a physical security and stockpile management assessment in Haiti.

Photo courtesy of UN/Sophia Paris.
Iraq

Yemen

Libya

Jordan

Lebanon

Egypt

Oman

Bahrain

Total U.S. Conventional Weapons Destruction Funding 

In The Middle East From All U.S. Agencies, 1993–2012

$358,470,000

Iraq 65.56%

Jordan 7.15%

Lebanon 13.82%

Libya 5.80%

Oman 1.21%

Palestinian Territories 0.28%

Tunisia 0.07% Bahrain 0.003%

Yemen 5.91% Egypt 0.20%

Percentage of 

total regional 

funding per 

country

Received U.S. CWD support in FY2012

Received support in the past

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Containing only 5 percent of the global population, the culturally rich and politically sensitive Middle East is the birthplace 

of three major world religions. The quality of life in contentious and impoverished nations such as Iraq and Yemen sharply differs 

from that of nearby affluent countries, such as Saudi Arabia and the 

United Arab Emirates. According to the U.S. Agency for International 

Development, nearly two-thirds of the region’s population is under 30, 

and youth unemployment is at 24 percent, the highest in the world. 

Internal unrest and explosive remnants of war (ERW) remaining from 

past conflicts plague the daily lives of many of the regions’ inhabitants. Since the March 2011 uprising began, Syria has witnessed a growing number of deaths and injuries among internally 

displaced persons and refugees as they flee to neighboring countries, caused by ERW, unexploded ordnance, and reported 

landmines laid by the Assad regime along Syria’s borders. In contrast, with support from the United States and international 

community, Jordan became the first country in the Middle East to declare itself minefield impact-free in April 2012. Essential 

to building stable societies, the U.S. conventional weapons destruction funding has provided more than $358 million to support humanitarian mine action, physical security and stockpile management, and victim assistance in the Middle East and 

North Africa.

Spirit of Soccer coaches and instructors promote mine risk education to Iraqi children in Basra and Khanaqin, Iraq.

Photo courtesy of Spirit of Soccer/Scotty Lee.

Iraq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Jordan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Lebanon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Palestinian Territories . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Libya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Yemen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Middle East/North Africa

Between 1999 and 2011 U.S. CWD programs have contributed 

to a 94.7% reduction in reported landmine and ERW casualties 

in Lebanon. This highlights the importance of the 

United States’ 20-year commitment to CWD in the 

Middle East and North Africa. 

Casualty data courtesy of the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor.

1999: 

113 casualties

2011: 

6 casualties

CASE STUDY: LEBANON

94.7% reduction
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Iraq 

Iraq is severely affected by landmines and explosive 

remnants of war (ERW) as a result of several decades of 

conflict. According to two Landmine Impact Surveys, one 

from 2006 and one from 2011, and additional reporting, 

Iraq’s total contamination is estimated at 1,975,648,235 

square meters (763 square miles) before area reduction 

and technical survey. In spite of the 462,648,235 square 

meters (179 square miles) that have been released, at least 

1,513,000,000 square meters (585 square miles) of land 

is still contaminated, containing as many as 20 million 

landmines and millions of items of unexploded ordnance 

(UXO). This contamination affects at least 1,430 Iraqi 

cities, towns, and villages. As most of the contaminated 

area is agricultural land, clearance is an economic necessity 

as well as a security priority.

Since 2003, the United States has invested more 

than $234 million in conventional weapons destruction 

(CWD) programs in Iraq aimed at clearance and safe 

disposal of landmines, UXO, and excess weapons and munitions. 

Directed through several Iraqi and international nongovernmental 

organizations, this assistance has made significant progress toward 

restoring access to land and infrastructure, developing Iraqi 

capacity to manage such programs independently, and protecting 

communities from potential risks.

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in 

the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

(PM/WRA) provided $25 million to Iraq for CWD programs. 

These programs cleared mines and ERW and released more 

than 687 million square meters (265 square miles) of land across 

Iraq, revitalizing the economic and agricultural development 

throughout the nation; destroyed more than 135,430 items of 

UXO, and abandoned and at-risk munitions; and provided mine 

and ERW risk education (MRE) to more than 40,000 Iraqi 

citizens. More specifically, the funding supported the following 

organizations and activities:

•	 Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining

(GICHD) completed an assessment of Iraq’s mine action 

capabilities and developed a two- to three-year plan for training 

and capacity development. GICHD also led a course with the 

Ministry of Defense (MOD) and Directorate for Mine Action 

(DMA) staff on quality assurance and quality control (QC) and 

on the use of demining machines in October 2012. 

•	 Information Management and Mine Action Programs

(iMMAP) provided operational management, strategic 

planning, and victim assistance support. iMMAP delivered 

six workshops and 13 training courses, successfully training 

128 students in information management, data collection, 

and mapping, as well as 50 rehabilitation technicians, who 

will subsequently treat thousands of landmine, UXO, and 

improvised explosive device survivors.

Spirit of Soccer facilitators deliver mine and unexploded ordnance risk 

education In Iraq. 

Photo courtesy of Spirit of Soccer/Scotty Lee.

•	 Iraq Mine/UXO Clearance Organization (IMCO) supported 

four technical advisors and provided landmine and UXO 

clearance remediation in central and southern Iraq. The alZubayr compound was handed over to the Iraqi government 

near the end of 2011. IMCO relocated to their new compound 

near the main city of Basrah in early 2012. Since May 2012, 

IMCO has conducted QC of 1,320,000 square meters (326 

acres) and cleared 1,997,924 square meters (494 acres) of land. 

In addition, IMCO conducted technical and non-technical 

surveys (NTS) of 1,831,112 square meters (452 acres) of land 

and found and turned over 77 mines and 1,255 pieces of UXO 

to the MOD. 

•	 MAG (Mines Advisory Group) conducted mine and battle 

area clearance in northern and central Iraq, returning more than 

2,053,557 square meters (507 acres) of land to communities for 

agriculture and economic development.

•	 Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) expanded its mine detection 

dog (MDD) program to southern Iraq in partnership with 

IMCO. MLI provided four new MDDs that are fully trained 

and certified by DMA. In addition, MLI linked three American 

schools to three Iraqi schools through its Children Against 

Mines Program (CHAMPS) to promote MRE in schools and 

provide medical assistance to young survivors.

•	 MLI and the Polus Center for Social and Economic

Development oversaw the Partnership for Iraq program, which 

is establishing a cost-sharing program to create a center to 

provide vocational and medical rehabilitation for thousands of 

mine and war survivors in Basrah and the surrounding area.

•	 Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) provided technical advisors to 

the Regional Mine Action Center-South (RMAC-S) to assist 
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•	 NATO Support Agency (NSPA) established a program in 

Jordan for the demilitarization and destruction of surplus, 

unserviceable, and obsolete man-portable air-defense systems 

(MANPADS), light anti-armor weapons, anti-tank rockets, 

and 130 tons of ammunition. In accordance with policy 

guidelines for the NATO Trust Fund, this project is managed 

by NSPA as the executing agent in close consultation with 

appropriate authorities in Jordan. 

•	 NCDR received funding to release 4.5 million square meters 

(1.74 square miles) of land by conducting daily quality assurance 

and quality control inspection of verified land on Jordan’s northern 

border with Syria and along the Jordan River Valley. 

•	 Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) continued mine clearance in 

support of Jordan’s Northern Border Project (NBP). Through 

NBP, an estimated 136,000 mines from 104 kilometers (65 

miles) on the Jordan-Syria border were removed, with an 

estimated 10,000 mines still to be cleared. In partnership with 

NCDR, NPA will conduct a land release program that combines 

non-technical survey and technical survey to address the threat 

of “missing mines,” specifically mines that have moved from 

their original location. 

Lebanon 

Lebanon is contaminated with landmines and explosive 

remnants of war (ERW) largely from the 1975–1991 civil war and 

the Israel-Hizballah conflict of 2006. According to the Lebanon 

Mine Action Center’s (LMAC) 2012 annual report, manual and 

mechanical demining teams destroyed landmines in 136.65 square 

meters (163.43 square yards) of land in six provinces in Lebanon. 

The teams also destroyed 4,546 cluster munitions devices to 

clear 2.83 square kilometers (1.09 square miles) of land in three 

provinces. Post-clearance impact studies in southern Lebanon 

have shown that the majority of clearance efforts have released 

the organization in fulfilling its role as a regulatory body able 

to coordinate and monitor mine action activities. NPA trained 

a QC sampling team and enabled RMAC-S to implement 

an NTS designed to provide a more accurate picture of the 

mine and ERW situation in southern Iraq. In June 2012 DMA 

approved NPA to establish an operational program.

•	 Spirit of Soccer (SoS) cooperated with other implementing 

partners to expand its mine and UXO risk education projects 

throughout Iraq. SoS implements innovative projects using 

soccer as a means to promote mine and UXO messages to 

children living in regions that are deemed at high risk of mine 

and ERW contamination.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian 

Demining Research and Development (HD R&D) Program, in 

partnership with MAG, continued evaluations of several excavator 

sifting attachments, a stand-alone Orbital Sifter, and a commercial 

front-loader attachment. With this assistance, valued at $300,000, 

MAG is clearing villages and agricultural areas that have been 

mine-affected for more than 20 years. To date, the equipment has 

sifted 115,000 cubic meters (150,414 cubic yards) of contaminated 

soil and uncovered or destroyed 1,800 mines and items of UXO. 

Though the figures are modest, the equipment consistently locates 

mines where manual clearance or MDDs are not feasible. Without 

its assistance, MAG would be unable to complete and hand over 

many of the sites.

Jordan 

Mine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination 

in Jordan remains from the 1948 partition of Palestine, the 1967–

1969 Arab-Israeli conflict, the 1970 civil war, and the confrontation 

with Syria in the 1970s. According to military estimates and the 

National Committee for Demining and Rehabilitation (NCDR), 

305,000 anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines were laid on 

Jordanian territory. ERW and abandoned ordnance caches remain 

from the 1970 expulsion of the Palestine Liberation Organization 

(PLO) from Jordan and are also a major concern.

Since 1996, the United States has invested more than $25 

million in conventional weapons destruction (CWD), including 

humanitarian mine action (HMA), in Jordan. Directed through 

several Jordanian and international partner organizations, in April 

2012 Jordan became the first country in the Middle East to declare 

itself free of all known minefields. This was a major accomplishment 

for both Jordan and the United States, since the Office of Weapons 

Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau 

of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) has been the primary 

bilateral donor. However, there continues to be a residual problem 

from an estimated 10,000 missing mines, which have either 

migrated due to floods and erosion or been removed by people 

crossing the mined areas. PM/WRA is providing funds to support 

survey and clearance efforts in response to this problem. 

In FY2012 PM/WRA provided $3,850,000 to Jordan for the 

following CWD programs: 

Deminers in Lebanon face challenging terrain. 

Photo courtesy of MAG.
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land previously used for agriculture, residential communities, and 

schools. Contamination in southern Lebanon threatens not only 

the lives of civilians but also hinders socioeconomic development 

and the overall security of the region. 

From FY1993 through FY2012 the United States invested 

more than $48 million in conventional weapons destruction 

(CWD), including humanitarian mine action, in Lebanon. Of 

this funding, $10 million was emergency assistance provided in 

response to the 2006 Israel-Hizballah conflict. 

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in 

the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

(PM/WRA) invested $2,524,471 in Lebanon for CWD programs 

to clear landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) as follows: 

•	 The Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) and the American Task

Force for Lebanon received a matching grant for a victim 

assistance project.

•	 DanChurchAid (DCA) continued clearance in central 

Lebanon. 

•	 Fondation Suisse de Déminage (Swiss Foundation for Mine

Action) continued battle area clearance (BAC) in southern 

Lebanon. 

•	 Handicap International continued clearance in northern 

Lebanon.

•	 ITF Enhancing Human Security and DCA received a 

matching grant for cluster munitions clearance in southern 

Lebanon. The objective of this grant was to provide “bridge” 

funding for one BAC team.

•	 MAG (Mines Advisory Group) continued BAC in the South.

•	 Sterling International (now Sterling Global) provided a 

contracted technical advisor to perform the following functions: 

to serve as the chief technical advisor to the director of the 

LMAC and as principal advisor to the LMAC staff, to help 

LMAC effectively integrate all aspects of CWD, and to serve as 

the principal advisor to the Lebanese Demining Organization.

Also in FY2012 the U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian 

Demining Research and Development (HD R&D) Program 

began several technology evaluations in Lebanon with MAG. 

Among the equipment valued at $590,000, MAG is evaluating 

several soil excavation, sifting, and grinding attachments on their 

armored excavators. In addition, MAG began an evaluation of 

the Terrapin to clear UXO and mines from overgrown terraced 

olive groves, some of which have been inaccessible for as long as 

30 years. The Terrapin’s versatile capabilities as a small remotecontrolled excavator will improve the speed of manual clearance 

by cutting and removing thick vegetation, then excavating and 

clearing the ordnance, while improving safety in steep and difficult 

to access areas. 

Libya 

Libya is burdened with landmines and unexploded ordnance 

(UXO) from conflicts dating back to World War II. During the 

2011 revolution, which led to the overthrow of Muammar Qadhafi, 

numerous ammunition storage areas (ASA) built and supplied 

by the Qadhafi regime were damaged or destroyed. Explosive 

remnants of war (ERW) were scattered into surrounding areas and 

an unknown number of unsecured arms and munitions found their 

way into the hands of local militias and civilians. The full magnitude 

of weapons proliferation remains unknown because access to ASAs 

is limited and reliable stockpile records are not available due to a 

security vacuum in Libya following the revolution. 

Since Libya’s revolution began in early 2011, the United 

States has committed resources to support the efforts of the new 

Libyan authorities to secure conventional and advanced conventional weapons, including man-portable air-defense systems 

(MANPADS). These resources support the government of Libya 

as it continues to build stability and security as a new democracy. 

The Libyan authorities listed conventional weapons proliferation 

abatement as one of their top security priorities in meetings with 

international partners in London on December 17, 2012 and Paris 

on February 12, 2013.

In FY2011 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in 

the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Bureau of Political-Military 

MAG Technical Field Manager and Team Leader Fred Gras unloads a 

BM-21 Grad rocket launcher in Adjdabya, Libya. The launcher had 

been hit in a NATO airstike and still contained 15 fuzed 122 mm 

rockets. 

Photo courtesy of MAG.

For the past year, MLI has implemented a PM/WRA-funded mine 

survivors assistance program in Yemen in cooperation with the Yemen 

Mine Action Center and the Yemeni Association for Landmine Survivors 

(YALS). Included in this program is the provision of vocational computer 

training for landmine survivors at YALS.

Photo courtesy of MLI.
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The International Emergency and Refugee Health Branch (IERHB) of the 

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides public-health 

assistance and interventions in the context of humanitarian emergencies such as 

civil strife, disaster, displacement, drought, famine, genocide, and war.

The IERHB’s public-health mission involves investigating, planning, training, 

and developing public-health guidelines and advancing partnerships. To date, the 

IERHB has formed key partnerships with the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations Children’s Fund, 

the World Health Organization, and numerous nongovernmental organizations.

Since 2004, the IERHB has worked in 40 countries, improving the lives and 

livelihood of individuals and communities in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 

Colombia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Liberia, Mozambique, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, 

among others. Most recently, the IERHB has focused attention on the Horn of 

Africa, where it is providing technical guidance, U.N. cluster-system support, and 

disease surveillance to assist the millions of people displaced by famine. The 

IERHB has also recently focused on Haiti, where it is implementing water and 

sanitation programs in areas heavily affected by 2010’s devastating earthquake.

The CDC provides technical assistance to mine action and other partners. 

For instance, in 2012 IERHB provided financial and technical support to UNICEF 

to support a survey of knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to landmines 

and improvised explosive devices in conflict-affected areas of Colombia. IERHB 

conducted evaluations of landmine and explosive remnants of war programs in 

Nepal and Sri Lanka during FY2011. Also in FY2011 the IERHB provided support 

to UNICEF’s landmine team for training and data collection. 

The U.S. Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention: International 

Emergency Refugee Health Branch

Point of Contact:

Michael Gerber

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

4770 Buford Highway

Atlanta, Georgia 30341

USA

telephone: +1 770 488 0695

email: mcg9@cdc.gov

website: http://cdc.gov

Affairs (PM/WRA) awarded $5.75 million 

for rapid assessment of UXO in Libya and 

technical assistance for conventional weapons 

destruction (CWD), including MANPADS. 

Through this funding, significant progress 

was made toward clearing UXO and ERW 

and securing loose weapons. PM/WRA’s 

Quick Reaction Force (QRF) assisted Libya 

in identifying 134 ASAs and 1,746 bunkers, 

and Libyan officials and QRF experts accounted for, secured, and eliminated an estimated 5,000 MANPADS and MANPADS 

components designated as damaged, unsafe, 

or at risk of illicit proliferation. 

In FY2012, to help address the 

MANPADS threat in Libya, the DOS 

Bureau of International Security and 

Nonproliferation’s (ISN) Nonproliferation 

and Disarmament Fund (NDF) obligated $17.8 million to a contract with 

Controlled Demolition, Inc. (CDI) to conduct a methodical inventory and reduction 

of MANPADS stockpiles. Belgium, Canada, 

the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom 

(U.K.) together contributed nearly $6 million 

to support these activities. France, Italy, and 

the U.K. also provided technical experts to 

support CWD. CDI’s progress in early 2012 

was limited because of political instability, 

an uncertain security environment, and weak 

Libyan governmental institutions.

Sterling International (now Sterling 

Global) also received $4 million in NDF 

funds in FY2012 to conduct rapid assessments through FY2013 and help develop 

Libyan CWD capacity, primarily through 

establishment of the Libyan Mine Action 

Center (LMAC). This agency, composed of 

and administered by Libyan civilians, works 

closely with Libya’s Ministry of Defense. The 

intent is for LMAC to be the main focal point 

for Libyan CWD efforts. Germany has also 

donated key funds to support LMAC operations.

Yemen 

Yemen suffers from the presence of mines 

and explosive remnants of war (ERW) left 

from various conflicts since 1962, including a 

civil war in 1994, an intermittent Houthi rebellion in the northern governorate of Sa’dah, 

and a mid-2011 armed conflict in southern 
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Yemen between Islamic Ansar al-Sharee’ah insurgents and government troops. This al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula-affiliated 

organization left behind improvised explosive devices (IED) interspersed with older unexploded ordnance (UXO) and landmines 

when they withdrew from Abyan in southern Yemen in 2012, endangering the local population. Although approximately 80,000 internally displaced persons have returned to their homes in Abyan, 

ERW remain a threat to civilians and stabilization efforts. 

The Yemen Mine Action Center (YEMAC), which is rated 

among the top three of 16 mine action programs evaluated by the 

United Nations, is conducting battle area clearance and mine risk 

education in Abyan. Survey and clearance operations that started 

soon after the government’s recapture of Abyan’s main towns in 

mid-June 2012 covered 900,000 square meters (222 acres). These 

operations resulted in the clearance of the Ja’ar, Zinjibar, Al-kod, 

and Shoqrah districts and the discovery and destruction of 34 antipersonnel (AP) mines, 23 anti-tank (AT) mines, 2,039 items of 

UXO, and 432 IEDs. During June–July 2012 more than 90 people 

were reported killed in Abyan, including three deminers. On 

October 22, 2012 four more deminers were injured during a depot 

explosion. Current YEMAC activities have already revealed new 

mines, IEDs, and extensive UXO and booby trap contamination. 

In 2012 the first victim assistance teams conducted a 10-day visit 

to two districts and reported 55 mine and UXO victims.

From FY1993 through FY2012 the United States invested 

more than $19 million in conventional weapons destruction, 

including humanitarian mine action, in Yemen. As of December 

2010, clearance had been completed in all 14 Yemeni communities 

that were highly affected by landmines and ERW, except for three 

minefields subject to permanent marking. Clearance has also been 

completed in 81 of the 86 medium-affected communities, and a 

total of 89,201 AP mines, 716 AT mines, and 190,564 items of 

UXO were cleared from 783 square kilometers (302 square miles) 

of land.

In FY2012 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in 

the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs 

HALO Survey Officers discuss the demolition of explosive remnants of war with Israeli military EOD teams.

Photo courtesy of The HALO Trust.

(PM/WRA) invested $1,135,000 in Yemen to fund demining and 

recovery efforts as follows:

•	 Marshall Legacy Institute implemented the Children Against 

Mines Program in partnership with YEMAC and the Yemen 

Association for Landmine Survivors.

•	 United Nations Development Programme supported existing 

mine action efforts in Yemen by replacing necessary equipment; 

providing medical care, landmine and ERW clearance, and risk 

education; and offering reintegration support and facilities for 

mine and UXO survivors.

Palestinian Territories 

Landmine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination 

in the Palestinian Territories remains from decades of conflict since 

1948. Although the exact amount of contamination is unknown, 

the mine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) threat has increased 

over the years, with at least 15 minefields confirmed across the 

Palestinian Territories, including 20 square kilometers (almost 8 

square miles) of the West Bank. 

In FY2011 the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement 

in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military 

Affairs (PM/WRA) granted $209,284 in support of humanitarian 

mine action in the Palestinian Territories. With this funding, 

The HALO Trust (HALO) conducted assessment and survey 

activities and worked with Palestinian and Israeli mine action 

authorities to lay the groundwork for a mine clearance program in 

the West Bank. This funding also enabled the Slovenia-based ITF 

Enhancing Human Security to provide medical assistance to eight 

conflict-affected children with amputated limbs, partial paralysis 

of lower limbs, or cerebral paralysis. The children received stateof-the-art medical treatment and rehabilitation at the University 

Rehabilitation Institute of the Republic of Slovenia. 

In FY2012 PM/WRA provided $782,132 to HALO for mine 

risk education programs in the West Bank and the clearance of 

landmines and UXO along both sides of the Jordan River Valley.
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THE INFORMATION 

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 

FOR MINE ACTION

upported by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), the Information Management 

System for Mine Action (IMSMA) facilitates greater efficiency and effectiveness in mine action programs. IMSMA was 

designed to meet the needs of the mine action community by 

providing a computerized tool that supports decision-making and 

management of operational activities.

Initially released in 1999 by Zurich’s Institute of Technology 

and first used in Kosovo, IMSMA is now used by most mine action 

programs. More specifically, it is used in more than 65 countries 

and has been installed 1,200 times. Governments, international 

organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and peacekeeping 

forces use IMSMA. 

Helping mine-action managers document and analyze data, 

IMSMA’s highly customizable system analyzes and records key 

factors essential to operational management. IMSMA manages 

data input of contaminated areas; remaining threats; and trends in 

casualty, survey, and clearance rates. With these data, IMSMA can 

produce detailed maps, statistics, and other planning tools to track 

progress and support prioritization decisions.

In 2005 IMSMANG, a re-engineered version of IMSMA, was 

released by GICHD and the software developer FGM, Inc. The 

newer version’s flexible architecture is able to meet a wider variety of situations and needs. IMSMANG supports both small 

and large programs with networks and users at multiple sites and 

organizations. New features also allow users to classify data, validate data quality, and design their own forms and reports.

IMSMA software is regularly updated and revised in response 

to feedback, and IMSMA provides patch software as needed. 

Support for IMSMA maintenance and development mainly 

comes from the Swiss government.

GICHD offers IMSMA free of charge to national mine action authorities and other mine action organizations. Its software 

is based on basic computer technology and is easily customizable. 

Mine action organizations can contact GICHD directly to obtain IMSMA software.

Contact Information:

Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining 

info@gichd.org.

http://www.imsma.org or http://gichd.org
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I

n 2002 terrorists attempted to shoot down an Israeli civilian airliner in Mombasa, Kenya, using two man-portable air-defense 

systems (MANPADS). This incident called the world’s attention 

to the dangerous threat of MANPADS. Elsewhere, terrorists and insurgents have used MANPADS to fight the Multi-National Force in Iraq 

and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan, 

to destroy humanitarian flights in Angola and Sudan, and to attack 

numerous civilian aircraft across Africa and other continents. Most 

recently, arms traffickers and violent extremists have capitalized on 

the instability that accompanied the Arab Spring movement by looting and proliferating MANPADS and other advanced conventional 

weapons (ACW) in Libya and Syria. The continued spread of these 

dangerous conventional weapons has increased and threatens regional stability and international security. A successful attack against 

a commercial airliner could ground civil aviation for days, as it did 

the U.S. civilian air fleet following 9/11, which would cost the world 

economy billions of dollars.

What are MANPADS? 

MANPADS are surface-to-air missiles that can be carried and fired 

by a single individual or a crew. Originally developed in the 1960s, 

MANPADS were designed to be used by national military forces to 

protect their troops and facilities. With their relatively short range, 

MANPADS are regarded as the last missile-based air defense available 

to protect against aerial attack.

Most MANPADS consist of 1) a missile packaged in a tube; 2) a 

reusable trigger mechanism (commonly known as a “gripstock”); and 

The Interagency 

MANPADS Task Force

3) a battery. The tubes, which protect the missile until it has been 

fired, are disposable. A single-use battery is typically used to power 

the missile prior to launch.

MANPADS launch tubes typically range from about 4 feet to 6.5 

feet (1.2–2 meters) in length and are about 3 inches (76 millimeters) in diameter. Their weight, with gripstock, varies from about 28 

pounds to just over 55 pounds (13–25 kilograms). Consequently, they 

are easy to transport and conceal. Some of the most commonly produced MANPADS can easily fit into the trunk of an automobile.

Although externally similar in appearance, MANPADS should not 

be confused with rocket-propelled grenades (RPG). MANPADS missiles can achieve twice the speed of sound and strike aircraft flying 

at altitudes up to approximately 15,000 feet (4.57 kilometers) at a 

range of up to 3.2 miles (5 kilometers). RPGs are unguided weapons 

designed primarily to be used against ground targets and are generally much less effective against aircraft. Some RPG attacks on aircraft 

flying at low altitudes and relatively slow speeds have been mistaken 

for MANPADS attacks.

What the Interagency MANPADS Task Force Does

The Interagency MANPADS Task Force (MTF) mitigates the threat 

posed by the spread of MANPADS in every region of the world. Comprised of experts from relevant departments and agencies, MTF facilitates programs and policies and coordinates actions, both within the 

U.S. Government and with partner nations and international organizations. For instance, to enhance the physical security and stockpile 

management of a partner government’s state-controlled weapons 

and munitions, MTF may coordinate the activities of the 

U.S. Departments of State and Defense to build that nation’s capacity to destroy aged, excess, or at-risk ACW 

and secure other weapons and munitions retained for 

their national defense. MTF may also synchronize U.S. 

approaches with MANPADS exporters and producers 

in order to track unaccounted for MANPADS and control proliferation. Such engagements are a part of U.S. 

efforts to stop non-state actors from obtaining and potentially using ACW. 

Since early 2011, MTF has played a key role in coordinating and facilitating U.S. efforts to mitigate ACW 

proliferation threats from Libya, Syria, and other countries suffering from internal instability or regime collapse. This requires attention to cross-cutting security 

issues such as border security assistance and related 

activities to ensure that MANPADS on the black market 

cannot be trafficked from one country to another.

A successful MANPADS attack against a civilian airliner 

would be a tragic loss of human life and have far-reaching 

impacts on international security and stability. To prevent 

such an attack, MANPADS threat reduction remains a U.S. 

national security priority.

A member of the Quick Reaction Force disables loose and at-risk MANPADS 

before the missiles’ eventual destruction. 

Photo courtesy of the Quick Reaction Force. 
TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 57

Association of Volunteers in International Service Center for International Rehabilitation Center 

for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR/JMU) Center for Teaching International Relations 

Centro Integral de Rehabilitación de Colombia (CIREC) Children of Armenia Fund Children’s 

Surgical Centre C King Associates Ltd Clear Path International Coalition Against Landmines 

(CALM) Cranfield Mine Action DanChurchAid Danish Demining Group Demining Agency for 

Afghanistan (DAFA) Fenix Insight Ltd. Freedom Fields USA Geneva International Centre for 

Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) Global Care Unlimited Golden West Humanitarian Foundation 

Grapes for Humanity Global Foundation The HALO Trust Handicap International Health 

Volunteers Overseas Help Handicapped International Humpty Dumpty Institute Information 

Management and Mine Action Programs (iMMAP) International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF) ITF 

Enhancing Human Security Iraqi Mine/UXO Clearance Organization (IMCO) The Julia Burke 

Foundation Landmine Relief Fund Landmines Blow! Legacies of War Lipscomb University MAG 

(Mines Advisory Group) Mine Clearance Planning Agency – Afghanistan Mine Detection Center – 

Afghanistan Marshall Legacy Institute Medical Care Development International Messiah College 

Landmine Action Project M.I.N.D. Labs (Michigan State University) One Sri Lanka Foundation 

Organization for Mine Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR) PeaceTrees Vietnam People to 

People International Polus Center for Social and Economic Development Positive Play Prestige 

Health Care Technologies Project RENEW Prosthetics Outreach Foundation Quality Solutions 

International (QSU) Roots of Peace Rotarians for Mine Action Save the Children Schonstedt 

Instrument Company Spirit of Soccer Survey Action Center Swiss Foundation for Mine Action 

(FSD) Torrens Resilience Group United for Colombia 

World Education World Rehabilitation Fund 

International Organization Partners

Organization of American States (OAS) United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) United Nations 

Development Programme (UNDP) 

United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) 

The Public-Private Partnership Program of the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement 

in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) was 

launched in October 1997 to enlist civil society support for clearing persistent landmines 

and explosive remnants of war, teaching mine risk education, and rendering assistance to 

survivors of landmine and unexploded ordnance incidents around the world. The PublicPrivate Partnership logo, created by the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery, 

was originally used to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Public-Private Partnership 

Program, which continues to this day to encourage private-sector involvement.
58 TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY

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Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC), established in 1989, was the first humanitarian mine clearance organization in Afghanistan to be endorsed by 

the United Nations. From 1998 to 2004 ATC destroyed 3,437 anti-vehicle 

mines, 143,392 anti-personnel mines, and 1,611,676 items of unexploded 

ordnance. ATC continues to reduce civilian casualties and enable land release through detection, clearance, and mine risk education activities. For 

more information: http://www.atcafghanistan.org

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) was created in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops 

of the United States in response to the need for World War II survivor 

assistance in Europe. Since then, CRS has assisted more than 100 million 

people in more than 100 countries across five continents to carry out its 

mission to assist poor disadvantaged communities by promoting the sacredness of human life and the right to human dignity. For more information: 

http://crs.org

The Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR), established 

as the Mine Action Information Center in 1996, is a Center of Excellence 

at James Madison University, helping communities around the world affected by conflict and trauma through innovative and reliable research, training, 

information exchange, and direct services. CISR is located in Harrisonburg, 

Virginia (U.S.). For more information: http://cisr.jmu.edu

Cleared Ground Demining (CGD), headquartered in London, U.K., is an 

independent not-for-profit nongovernmental organization that works 

around the globe to reduce the threats posed to local communities by 

landmines and unexploded ordnance. For more information: http://www.

clearedground.org

Clear Path International (CPI), headquartered in Seattle, Washington, is devoted to bringing hope, help, and opportunity to landmine survivors and 

others disabled by war. CPI identifies, collaborates, and helps build sustainable local partners that empower conflict survivors to overcome physical, 

psychological, social, and economic challenges, promote equality and accessibility, and provide innovative, integrated, and sustainable programs to 

support conflict survivors. For more information: http://www.cpi.org

CONTRAMINAS (Peruvian Mine Action Center), created in December 2002, 

serves as a national coordinator of mine action planning and policy. Thus 

far, demining in Peru has focused on two areas: the northern border 

with Ecuador and the areas around electrical towers in the Lima, Junin, 

Huancavelica, and Ica regions of Peru. The Peruvian army completed mine 

clearance of the Zarumilla Canal and La Palma, as well as near Aguas 

Verdes along the northern border. After a year of working in and around 

electrical towers, Peru’s national police force (Policía Nacional del Perú) along 

with Shipyard Marine Industrial Services were able to clear 17,651 mines 

by May 2003.

DanChurchAid (DCA) is an independent ecumenical humanitarian organization based in Copenhagen, Denmark, that strives to provide humanitarian 

assistance and advocate for oppressed, neglected, and marginalized groups 

in poor countries, strengthening their possibilities for a life with dignity. 

DCA’s humanitarian mine action programs combine mine risk education, 

mine clearance, and strong community development activities. For more 

information: http://www.dca.dk

Danish Demining Group (DDG) is a nongovernmental organization based 

in Copenhagen, Denmark, operating under the auspices of the Danish 

Refugee Council. It assists individuals and populations hampered by landmines and other explosive remnants of war. In doing so, DDG also strives 

to procure supplies from local communities and to train a local staff in order 

to create national ownership opportunities as soon as possible. For more 

information: http://www.danishdemininggroup.dk

The Demining Agency for Afghanistan (DAFA) is an Afghan humanitarian 

mine clearance organization formed in June 1990. DAFA’s mission is to clear 

all hazardous and mine-contaminated areas in Afghanistan by committing 

resources to humanitarian demining, demining for road reconstruction, local government rehabilitation plans, and the disarmament, demobilization, 

and reintegration campaign. For more information: sattar_dafa@yahoo.ca 

or dafafinance@yahoo.com

The Golden West Humanitarian Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit charitable organization. It conducts surveys and assessments, and develops mine 

risk education materials and landmine and unexploded ordnance disposal 

technologies. For more information: http://www.goldenwesthf.org

The HALO Trust, an American and British nonprofit charity, specializes 

in the removal of landmines and unexploded ordnance from post-conflict 

zones. Since pioneering the concept of humanitarian landmine clearance in 

Afghanistan in 1998, it has destroyed more than 1.4 million landmines and 

206,000 cluster munitions in 14 countries. For more information: http://

www.halousa.org/

Handicap International (HI) is an independent and impartial international 

aid organization working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict, and 

disaster. HI currently implements mine action programs in 17 countries—

working to clear landmines and other unexploded ordnance from civilian 

areas, providing risk education programs aimed at civilians living or traveling through affected regions, and providing assistance to those who have 

been injured. For more information: http://www.handicap-international.us 

The Humpty Dumpty Institute (HDI) is a unique nonprofit organization that 

serves people in the developing world through the implementation of largescale humanitarian projects and through its work with the United Nations. 

Since 2007, HDI has implemented about $20 million in development projects in Angola, Armenia, Burma, Eritrea, Laos, Lebanon, Mozambique, 

Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. These projects are sponsored by individuals, 

foundations, and governments. For more information: http://www.thehdi.org

The International Center (IC), founded in 1977, is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that was created to foster mutual aid An area is cultivated following clearance by HALO. 

Photo courtesy of The HALO Trust.

CISR’s 2012 Senior Managers’ Course participants meet with PM/WRA at the 

U.S. State Department. 

Photo courtesy of the U.S. State Dept.
TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 59

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between the United States and the developing world. In 2009 the Vietnam 

Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) began working under the IC 

in the areas of mental health, education, and landmine and unexploded ordnance clearance. VVAF has been addressing the harsh consequences of war, 

especially the war in Vietnam, since 1978. For more information: http://www.

theintlcenter.org

Information Management and Mine Action Programs (iMMAP) is a not-forprofit nongovernmental organization that coordinates, supports, and implements humanitarian information-management activities and landmine and 

unexploded ordnance surveys during and after complex emergencies and 

in developing countries around the world. iMMAP aims to alleviate the 

suffering of victims of natural disasters and armed conflict by providing 

decision-support services to humanitarian agencies through the management of reliable, timely, and appropriate strategic and geographic information. For more information: http://www.immap.org

The Iraq Mine/UXO Clearance Organization (IMCO) is an Iraqi demining 

nongovernmental organization established in 2003. IMCO is fully trained 

and equipped to international humanitarian mine action standards to perform manual and mine-detection-dog-supported demining operations, battle area clearance, reconnaissance of suspected hazardous areas, unexploded 

ordnance and landmine survey, and technical site survey missions. For more 

information: zahimmutar@yahoo.com

ITF Enhancing Human Security was created in March 1998 by the government of Slovenia with the goal of supporting humanitarian mine action in 

Southeast Europe through management, services, and fundraising. Recently, 

ITF has broadened its focus to a wider range of post-conflict challenges including security sector reform, disarmament, and small arms/light weapons 

control. For more information: http://www.itf-fund.si

The Landmine Relief Fund was founded in 2004 to support the work of an 

all-Cambodian demining nongovernmental organization, Cambodian Self 

Help Demining (CSHD). CSHD was founded by a former child soldier 

named Aki Ra, who has spent nearly 20 years clearing explosive remnants of 

war wherever he finds them. He works with other ex-child soldiers, primarily in “low priority” villages throughout Cambodia. For more information: 

http://www.landmine-relief-fund.com

MAG (Mines Advisory Group), working in association with its U.S. partner 

MAG America, is a humanitarian organization working in conflict-affected 

countries to clear landmines and other unexploded ordnance (UXO), remove/destroy small arms/light weapons, provide mine risk education, and 

offer capacity-building support. Since it began operations in Afghanistan 

in 1989 clearing landmines and UXO, MAG has worked on a variety of 

conflict-recovery projects in 35 countries around the world, clearing more 

than 26,500,000 square meters (10 square miles) of land and destroying 

over 1.5 million weapons and landmines. For more information: http://

www.maginternational.org

The Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) is a nonprofit organization founded 

to help restore hope, alleviate suffering, and nurture stability in war-torn 

countries. Major projects include the Mine Detection Dog Partnership 

Program, the Children Against Mines Program (CHAMPS), CHAMPS 

International, and survivors’ assistance programs. For more information: 

http://www.marshall-legacy.org

The Mine Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA), an Afghanistan-based nongovernmental organization, was founded in 1990. MCPA specializes in 

humanitarian mine action including general, impact, and post-clearance 

surveys, technical and battle area surveys, mine detection dogs, manual and 

mechanical mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, mine risk education, and mine clearance training. In addition, MCPA focuses on the development and maintenance of information-management systems for mine 

action. For more information: hajiattiqullah@hotmail.com

The Mine Detection Center (MDC) was established in 1989 with the goal to 

make Afghanistan mine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) impact-free 

so individuals and communities can have a safe environment conducive to 

national development. MDC helped establish mine detection dog capacities in Yemen and Tajikistan from 1994 to 2006, cleared 225 million square 

meters (87 square miles) as of December 2011, and has safely destroyed 

340,608 mines and ERW. For more information: mdcafghan@hotmail.com 

or mdcafghan@yahoo.com

The NATO Support Agency (NSPA) is NATO’s integrated logistics and services provider agency. NSPA is a fully customer-funded agency, operating 

on a “no profit - no loss” basis. It brings together NATO’s logistics and procurement support activities into a single organization, providing integrated 

multinational support solutions for its stakeholders. At the Lisbon Summit 

in November 2010, NATO heads of state and government agreed to reform the 14 existing NATO agencies, concurring to streamline them into 

three major programmatic themes: procurement, support, and communications and information. As part of the reform process, NSPA was established 

on July 1, 2012 as a result of the merger of the former in-service support 

agencies: the NATO Maintenance Supply Agency, the NATO Airlift 

Management Agency, and the Central Europe Pipeline Management 

Agency. For more information: http://www.nspa.nato.int

The National Committee for Demining and Rehabilitation (NCDR) is Jordan’s 

national authority on all landmine and explosive remants of war (ERW) 

related projects. Founded in 2000, NCDR conducts ERW removal, mine 

risk education, survivor and victim assistance, and international relations 

to create safe, strong, and prosperous communities for the people of Jordan. 

For more information: http://www.ncdr.org.jo

Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), founded in 1939 on the principles of solidarity, dignity, peace, and freedom, is one of Norway’s biggest nongovernmental organizations. NPA works in the field of mine action in 18 mine- and 

unexploded-ordnance-affected countries, performing clearance operations, 

engaging in political advocacy, and developing and implementing treaties 

against landmines and cluster munitions. For more information: http://

www.npaid.org

The Organization of American States (OAS) was established in 1948 with the 

goal of encouraging sustainable peace, justice, solidarity, collaboration, integrity, and independence among the nations of the Americas. OAS achieves this 

goal through activities revolving around democracy, human rights, security, 

and development. For more information: http://www.oas.org

The Organization for Mine Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR) 

was established in 1990 to teach Afghan refugees and internally displaced 

Afghans about the dangers of landmines and unexploded ordnance left 

behind by the Soviet and Afghan Communist Armies, and by Afghan 

insurgents. In 1993 OMAR started a demining program, hiring and training more than 1,500 deminers in manual and mechanical demining, battle 

area clearance, and explosive ordnance disposal, as well as teaching them 

to work with mine detection dogs. Having cleared more than 1.8 million 

square meters (445 acres) of mine contaminated area and about 3.5 million 

square meters (1.4 square miles) of battle area formerly contaminated by 

unexploded ordnance, OMAR has destroyed 2,237 anti-personnel mines, 

9 anti-tank mines, and 47,894 items of unexploded ordnance. OMAR has 

also developed demining emergency response teams. For more information: http://www.omar.org.af

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the 

world’s largest regional security organization with 57 member states from 

Europe, Central Asia, and North America. It offers a forum for political 

negotiations and decision-making in the fields of early warning, conflict 

prevention, crisis management, and post-conflict rehabilitation, and puts 

the political will of its participating states into practice through its unique 

network of field missions. OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security 

MAG (Mines Advisory Group) works with the local population in Laos, one of 

the most unexploded ordnance-affected countries in the world. 

Photo courtesy of Sean Sutton/MAG.
60 TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY

FY2012 Grantees

150 135 120 0 15 

105 90 75 60 45 30 15

that encompasses politico-military, economic, environmental, and human 

aspects. It therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human 

rights, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counterterrorism, and economic and environmental activities. For more information: http://www.osce.org

PeaceTrees Vietnam was founded in 1995 as a grassroots effort to bring 

peace, friendship, and renewal to the people of Quang Tri, one of the 

most war-torn provinces of Vietnam. PeaceTrees’ vision of establishing 

a safe and healthy future for the children of Quang Tri includes landmine and unexploded ordnance clearance, landmine awareness programs, citizen diplomacy, community service, tree planting programs, 

survivor/victim assistance, economic support, scholarships to landmine 

survivors and their families, social development projects, and community restoration and relocation projects. For more information: 

http://www.peacetreesvietnam.org

Polus Center for Social and Economic Development, established in 1979, 

is a Massachusetts-based, nonprofit human-services organization that supports a number of community-based rehabilitative initiatives in Central 

America and Africa. Its work benefits a wide range of persons with mobility 

disabilities, including those who have experienced limb loss as a result of 

landmines. For more information: http://www.poluscenter.org

Spirit of Soccer uses soccer/football skills clinics to educate children about 

the dangers posed by landmines and explosive remnants of war in postconflict regions of the world. Since 1996, more than 167,000 children in 

Bosnia, Cambodia, Iraq, Kosovo, Laos, and Moldova have received mine 

risk education through soccer-based activities. For more information: 

http://www.spiritofsoccer.net

Fondation Suisse de Déminage (Swiss Foundation for Mine Action or FSD), an 

international nongovernmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, 

has implemented mine clearance projects in 18 countries since its inception in 1997. FSD’s focus is on locating and destroying landmines and unexploded ordnance on the ground and under water, but it also engages in 

projects related to the reduction of physical and chemical pollution and the 

collection and destruction of many types of arms and ammunition. For more 

information: http://www.fsd.ch

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works to help children overcome the obstacles created by violence, poverty, disease, and discrimination. This includes children in mine-affected countries globally. UNICEF 

supports the development and implementation of mine risk education and 

survivor assistance projects and advocacy for an end to the use of landmines, 

cluster munitions, and other indiscriminate weapons. For more information: 

http://www.unicef.org

The United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) integrates mine action into worldwide U.N. peacekeeping operations in line 

with a November 2003 Presidential Statement of the Security Council. 

The Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations chairs the 

Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine Action, which brings together 

representatives from all U.N. mine-action entities. U.N. Mine Action Service 

provides direct support and assistance to U.N. peacekeeping missions. For 

more information: http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) is located in the 

Department of Peacekeeping Operations Office of Rule of Law and 

Security Institutions and is the focal point for mine action in the U.N. system. It is responsible for ensuring an effective, proactive, and coordinated 

U.N. response to landmines and explosive remnants of war. For more information: http://www.unmas.org

The Vietnam Assistance Project (VAP) is a U.S.-based nongovernmental 

organization that works to eradicate poverty and improve access to health 

care, education, and activities that support victims. For more information, 

email rfrank@frankandco.com

World Education, Inc. was founded in 1951 to meet the needs of the educationally disadvantaged and provides training and technical assistance in 

non-formal education across a wide array of sectors. Registered as a private voluntary organization, World Education has worked in more than 50 

countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, as well as in the United States. 

For more information: http://www.worlded.org

Commonly Used Acronyms

AP Anti-personnel

BAC Battle-area Clearance

CWD Conventional Weapons Destruction

DOD Department of Defense

DOS Department of State

DTRA Defense Threat Reduction Agency

HDTC Humanitarian Demining Training Center

HD R&D Humanitarian Demining Research & Development Program

HMA Humanitarian Mine Action

IDP Internally Displaced Persons 

IED Improvised Explosive Device 

MANPADS Man-portable Air-defense Systems

MDD Mine Detection Dog

MRE Mine Risk Education

OHDACA Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster Assistance and Civic Aid

PM/WRA Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. 

Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs

PSSM Physical Security and Stockpile Management

SA/LW Small Arms and Light Weapons

SHA Suspected Hazardous Area

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

USAID United States Agency for International Development

USAfricom U.S. Africa Command

USCENTCOM U.S. Central Command

USEUCOM U.S. European Command

USSOUTHCOM U.S. Southern Command

UXO Unexploded Ordnance

VA Victim Assistance

A mine risk education campaign in Colombia provided by OAS.

Photo courtesy of OAS.
TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 61

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legend For charts on pages 62-67

CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

DOD U.S. Department of Defense

DOS NADR-CWD U.S. Department of State - Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining, and Related Programs

DOS Other U.S. Department of State - Other funding

USAID U.S. Agency for International Development

Since 1993, the United States has donated over $2 billion for conventional weapons destruction 

(CWD) in more than 90 countries. The U.S. remains the world’s top donor for humanitarian 

mine action (HMA) programs, including landmine clearance, survivor assistance services, and 

mine risk education. Many of our ongoing programs combine humanitarian demining, small arms/

light weapons (SA/LW) destruction, and efforts to improve the safety and security of conventional 

munitions stockpiles. The following chart provides a consolidated view of the United States’ funding 

for CWD globally. For a more detailed view of this funding chart, including additional details such as 

funding for HMA and SA/LW projects, please refer to the website of the Office of Weapons Removal and 

Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA): 

http://state.gov/t/pm/rls/rpt/walkearth/index.htm.

Conventional Weapons 

Destruction Funding

Top 10 Countries Funded 

(Aggregate) FY1993–2012

Afghanistan

Iraq

Angola

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Cambodia

Vietnam

Laos

Mozambique

Lebanon

$350 million

$300 million

$250 million

$200 million

$150 million

$100 million

$50 million

$0 million

Sri Lanka
62 TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY

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U.S. CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS DESTRUCTION Program Funding History (Fiscal Years 1993–2012)

Country Sources FY93-04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 Total 

 Afghanistan 

 DOS NADR - CWD 36,444 16,700 17,152 15,821 21,589 30,253 45,800 40,475 40,550 264,784

 DOS Other 20,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20,000

 CDC 1,700 0 0 50 50 0 0 0 0 1,800

 DOD 4,264 0 0 0 0 520 996 0 1,000 6,780

 USAID 50,000 700 397 350 0 0 0 0 0 51,447

 Country Total 112,408 17,400 17,549 16,221 21,639 30,773 46,796 40,475 41,550 344,811

 Albania 

 DOS NADR - CWD 5,602 1,000 1,300 1,480 7,091 2,395 5,909 3,500 4,034 32,311

 DOD 0 0 0 0 0 11 0 11 0 22

 USAID 1,389 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,389

 Country Total 6,991 1,000 1,300 1,480 7,091 2,406 5,909 3,511 4,034 33,722

 Angola 

 DOS NADR - CWD 21,510 6,287 6,120 5,250 7,562 7,300 10,000 7,500 8,675 80,204

 DOS Other 3,170 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3,170

 CDC 0 0 0 75 75 0 0 0 0 150

 DOD 4,000 0 0 14 0 850 850 0 850 6,564

 USAID 6,700 651 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 8,351

 Country Total 35,380 6,938 7,120 5,339 7,637 8,150 10,850 7,500 9,525 98,439

 Argentina DOD 550 0 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 579

 Country Total 550 0 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 579

 Armenia 

 DOS NADR - CWD 2,600 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 391 2,991

 DOS - Other 3,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3,000

 DOD 2,618 0 0 0 200 0 0 8 9 2,835

 USAID 1,148 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,000 0 2,148

 Country Total 9,366 0 0 0 200 0 0 1,008 400 10,974

 Azerbaijan 

 DOS NADR - CWD 7,048 3,900 3,064 2,487 1,280 2,199 752 365 365 21,460

 DOS - Other 1,100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,100

 DOD 4,844 483 425 723 200 0 300 0 0 6,975

 Country Total 12,992 4,383 3,489 3,210 1,480 2,199 1,052 365 365 29,535

 Bahrain DOD 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 10

 Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 10

 Belize DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 300 300

Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 300 300

 Benin DOD 0 0 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 14

 Country Total 0 0 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 14

Bosnia and 

Herzegovina 

 DOS NADR - CWD 31,086 3,373 3,300 3,390 4,650 4,103 5,425 3,685 4,300 63,312

 DOS - Other 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,000

 CDC 1,800 500 500 205 205 0 0 0 0 3,210

 DOD 4,263 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4,263

 USAID 20,500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20,500

 Country Total 58,649 3,873 3,800 3,595 4,855 4,103 5,425 3,685 4,300 92,285

 Bulgaria 

 DOS NADR - CWD 2,844 0 400 0 300 0 0 3,100 1,585 8,229

 Country Total 2,844 0 400 0 300 0 0 3,100 1,585 8,229

 Burma DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 90 829 919

 Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 90 829 919

Burundi 

 DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 381 200 438 400 516 0 1,935

 DOD 0 0 0 0 0 74 0 155 201 430

 Country Total 0 0 0 381 200 512 400 671 201 2,365

Cambodia

 DOS NADR - CWD 18,319 3,949 4,900 4,142 4,054 5,152 5,040 5,250 5,494 56,300

 DOS Other 4,943 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4,943

 CDC 0 0 0 50 50 0 0 0 0 100

 DOD 4,849 180 94 7 0 2,500 3,000 0 4,235 14,865

 USAID 8,773 2,825 950 0 0 0 500 0 0 13,048

 Country Total 36,884 6,954 5,944 4,199 4,104 7,652 8,540 5,250 9,729 89,256

Central African 

Republic 

 DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 37 0 0 0 0 0 37

 Country Total 0 0 0 37 0 0 0 0 0 37

(Dollars in thousands)
TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 63

Country Sources FY93-04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 Total 

 Chad 

 DOS NADR - CWD 3,854 1,000 1,780 200 0 65 0 0 0 6,899

 DOD 2,922 169 596 0 0 0 0 190 414 4,291

 Country Total 6,776 1,169 2,376 200 0 65 0 190 414 11,190

 Chile DOD 0 735 973 0 0 454 450 0 450 3,062

 Country Total 0 735 973 0 0 454 450 0 450 3,062

 Colombia 

 DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 300 791 1,881 1,523 2,000 2,500 3,500 12,495

 CDC 150 0 200 50 50 0 0 0 0 450

 DOD 0 0 0 940 0 10 575 0 154 1,679

 USAID 0 500 0 2,000 0 1,600 1,500 3,200 600 9,400

 Country Total 150 500 500 3,781 1,931 3,133 4,075 5,700 4,254 24,024

Congo, 

Democratic 

Republic of the 

 DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 1,185 2,000 119 937 841 1,016 750 6,848

 DOD 0 0 0 0 0 0 65 305 233 603

 USAID 800 0 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,300

 Country Total 800 0 1,685 2,000 119 937 906 1,321 983 8,751

Congo, Republic 

of the 

 DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 445 675 200 0 0 0 1,320

 USAID 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 267 267

 Country Total 0 0 0 445 675 200 0 0 267 1,587

 Croatia DOS NADR - CWD1 14,082 2,300 2,300 2,009 3,111 2,000 2,000 5,037 1,100 33,939

 Country Total 14,082 2,300 2,300 2,009 3,111 2,000 2,000 5,037 1,100 33,939

 Cyprus DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 10

 Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 10

 Czech Republic DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 600 0 0 0 0 0 600

 Country Total 0 0 0 600 0 0 0 0 0 600

 Djibouti 

 DOS NADR - CWD 1,900 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,900

 DOD 1,167 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 1,172

 Country Total 3,067 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 3,072

Dominican 

Republic 

 USAID 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 500 0 500

 Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 500 0 500

 Ecuador 

 DOS NADR - CWD 3,323 0 0 0 0 0 1,002 500 0 4,825

 DOD 1,762 507 313 0 0 258 433 0 518 3,791

 Country Total 5,085 507 313 0 0 258 1,435 500 518 8,616

 Egypt DOD 718 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 718

 Country Total 718 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 718

 El Salvador 

 DOS NADR - CWD 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 988 1,038

 CDC 1,650 400 400 195 195 0 0 0 0 2,840

 USAID 1,500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 500 2,000

 Country Total 3,200 400 400 195 195 0 0 0 1,488 5,878

 Eritrea 

 DOS NADR - CWD 8,423 2,800 400 0 0 0 0 0 0 11,623

 DOS - Other 1,560 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,560

 CDC 450 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 450

 DOD 4,485 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4,485

 Country Total 14,918 2,800 400 0 0 0 0 0 0 18,118

 Estonia 

 DOS NADR - CWD 1,070 0 0 157 250 699 323 0 0 2,499

 DOD 1,551 0 55 0 100 0 0 160 0 1,866

 Country Total 2,621 0 55 157 350 699 323 160 0 4,365

 Ethiopia 

 DOS NADR - CWD 3,545 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3,545

 DOS - Other 1,500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,500

 CDC 1,700 400 400 173 173 0 0 0 0 2,846

 DOD 3,984 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3,984

 USAID 1,230 0 25 0 0 300 2,000 327 0 3,882

 Country Total 11,959 400 425 173 173 300 2,000 327 0 15,757

 Georgia 

 DOS NADR - CWD 4,716 3,402 2,123 1,750 6,265 2,614 2,845 1,158 1,232 26,105

 DOS - Other 0 0 0 0 0 2,644 0 0 0 2,644

 DOD 1,114 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,114

 Country Total 5,830 3,402 2,123 1,750 6,265 5,258 2,845 1,158 1,232 29,863

(Dollars in thousands)
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Country Sources FY93-04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 Total 

 Guatemala DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 0 0 0 250 0 0 250

 Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 250 0 0 250

 Guinea DOS NADR - CWD 103 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 103

 Country Total 103 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 103

 Guinea-Bissau 

 DOS NADR - CWD 813 0 400 945 809 1,000 1,000 1,070 0 6,037

 DOD 0 0 162 1,212 70 0 0 0 0 1,444

 Country Total 813 0 562 2,157 879 1,000 1,000 1,070 0 7,481

 Haiti USAID 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,000 1,500 0 2,500

 Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,000 1,500 0 2,500

 Honduras DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 316 0 0 0 0 0 0 316

 Country Total 0 0 316 0 0 0 0 0 0 316

 India USAID 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 300 300

Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 300 300

 Iraq 

 DOS NADR - CWD 2,950 2,840 0 15,149 17,080 19,417 24,913 22,000 25,000 129,349

 DOS - Other 0 0 0 0 992 0 0 0 0 992

 CDC 350 0 0 50 50 0 0 0 0 450

 DOD 73,268 9,000 13,200 5,150 2,881 120 318 0 300 104,237

 Country Total 76,568 11,840 13,200 20,349 21,003 19,537 25,231 22,000 25,300 235,028

 Jordan 

 DOS NADR - CWD 7,951 0 0 0 514 2,700 2,906 2,015 3,850 19,936

 DOS Other 300 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 300

 CDC 1,600 400 400 284 284 0 0 0 0 2,968

 DOD 2,418 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,418

 Country Total 12,269 400 400 284 798 2,700 2,906 2,015 3,850 25,622

 Kazakhstan DOS NADR - CWD 0 295 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 295

 Country Total 0 295 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 295

 Kenya 

 DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 180 458 500 269 75 0 1,482

 DOD 0 0 0 0 0 56 25 175 236 492

 USAID 400 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 400

 Country Total 400 0 0 180 458 556 294 250 236 2,374

 Kosovo 

 DOS NADR - CWD 5,025 0 110 205 150 150 1,000 450 260 7,350

 DOD 4,300 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4,300

 USAID 17,472 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17,472

 Country Total 26,797 0 110 205 150 150 1,000 450 260 29,122

 Kyrgyzstan 

 DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 500 0 500

 DOD 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 7

 Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 500 0 507

 Laos 

 DOS NADR - CWD 10,919 2,500 3,300 2,692 3,050 3,350 5,100 5,000 9,233 45,144

 DOS - Other 750 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 750

 DOD 6,856 0 0 5 0 0 6 0 33 6,900

 USAID 5,850 0 1,500 350 0 600 1,000 0 0 9,300

 Country Total 24,375 2,500 4,800 3,047 3,050 3,950 6,106 5,000 9,266 62,094

 Lebanon2

 DOS NADR - CWD 6,678 2,300 1,420 1,556 5,184 4,791 1,997 2,225 2,524 28,675

 DOS Other 0 0 2,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,000

 DOD 1,659 1,470 5,007 0 0 5 289 0 590 9,020

 USAID 2,700 700 1,200 1,400 1,500 800 750 800 0 9,850

 Country Total 11,037 4,470 9,627 2,956 6,684 5,596 3,036 3,025 3,114 49,545

 Lesotho DOS NADR - CWD 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15

 Country Total 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15

 Liberia 

 DOS NADR - CWD 360 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 360

 CDC 0 0 0 75 75 0 0 0 0 150

 USAID 3,429 500 0 0 500 0 0 0 0 4,429

 Country Total 3,789 500 0 75 575 0 0 0 0 4,939

 Libya 

 DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3,000 0 3,000

 DOS Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17,800 17,800

 Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3,000 17,800 20,800

U.S. CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS DESTRUCTION Program Funding History (Fiscal Years 1993–2012)
TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 65

(Dollars in thousands)

Country Sources FY93-04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 Total 

 Lithuania DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 0 0 0 500 0 0 500 

 Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 500 0 0 500 

 Macedonia 

 DOS NADR - CWD 1,602 0 50 96 50 50 150 0 0 1,998 

 Country Total 1,602 0 50 96 50 50 150 0 0 1,998 

 Mauritania 

 DOS NADR - CWD 1,395 0 0 0 0 0 1,000 0 0 2,395 

 DOD 3,952 0 0 458 0 0 0 0 0 4,410 

 Country Total 5,347 0 0 458 0 0 1,000 0 0 6,805 

 Moldova DOD 71 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 71 

 Country Total 71 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 71 

Montenegro3

(FY07 to present) 

 DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 2,050 497 804 1,048 1,750 1,300 7,449

 DOD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 11

 Country Total 0 0 0 2,050 497 804 1,048 1,750 1,311 7,460

 Mozambique 

 DOS NADR - CWD 15,503 2,336 2,344 440 0 2,124 2,000 2,175 2,635 29,557

 DOS - Other 1,600 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,600

 CDC 1,250 400 400 25 25 0 0 0 0 2,100

 DOD 11,449 0 0 0 0 49 3 326 639 12,466

 USAID 4,533 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4,533

 Country Total 34,335 2,736 2,744 465 25 2,173 2,003 2,501 3,274 50,256

 Namibia 

 DOS NADR - CWD 3,351 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3,351

 DOS Other 670 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 670

 DOD 4,400 0 0 0 0 0 78 165 309 4,952

 Country Total 8,421 0 0 0 0 0 78 165 309 8,973

 Nepal USAID 0 0 0 0 0 500 500 0 1,000 2,000

 Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 500 500 0 1,000 2,000

 Nicaragua 

 DOS NADR - CWD 300 32 1,749 1,400 250 350 0 0 0 4,081 

 DOD 200 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 200 

 Country Total 500 32 1,749 1,400 250 350 0 0 0 4,281 

 Nigeria 

 DOS NADR - CWD 1,449 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,449 

 Country Total 1,449 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,449 

 Oman 

 DOS NADR - CWD 1,785 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,785 

 DOD 2,553 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,553 

 Country Total 4,338 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4,338 

 Pakistan DOS NADR - CWD 32 0 0 0 0 500 300 0 0 832 

 Country Total 32 0 0 0 0 500 300 0 0 832 

 Palau DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 0 0 85 0 0 150 235

 Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 85 0 0 150 235

Palestinian 

Territories 

 DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 209 782 991

 Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 209 782 991

 Paraguay DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 0 200 0 0 0 0 200 

 Country Total 0 0 0 0 200 0 0 0 0 200 

 Peru 

 DOS NADR - CWD 3,086 0 0 0 200 2,620 2,000 2,000 1,000 10,906

 DOD 11,902 0 0 0 0 42 0 0 0 11,944

 Country Total 14,988 0 0 0 200 2,662 2,000 2,000 1,000 22,850

 Philippines 

 DOS NADR - CWD 250 0 150 0 270 0 250 0 0 920 

 USAID 750 0 0 0 800 0 0 0 0 1,550 

 Country Total 1,000 0 150 0 1,070 0 250 0 0 2,470 

 Romania 

 DOS NADR - CWD 1,369 0 0 0 0 0 1,000 0 0 2,369 

 DOD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 150 0 150 

 Country Total 1,369 0 0 0 0 0 1,000 150 0 2,519 

 Rwanda 

 DOS NADR - CWD 3,285 0 476 0 0 200 242 0 0 4,203

 DOS Other 700 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 700 

 DOD 7,790 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7,790 

 Country Total 11,775 0 476 0 0 200 242 0 0 12,693 

São Tomé and 

Príncipe 

 DOS NADR - CWD 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50 

 Country Total 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50 
66 TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY

f

u

n

din

g

Country Sources FY93-04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 Total 

Senegal 

 DOS NADR - CWD 204 0 0 421 655 725 500 0 0 2,505 

 DOD 0 0 0 252 0 0 0 0 0 252 

 USAID 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 500 

 Country Total 704 0 0 673 655 725 500 0 0 3,257 

Serbia3 DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 700 8,133 1,000 1,400 1,552 1,000 13,785

 Country Total 0 0 0 700 8,133 1,000 1,400 1,552 1,000 13,785

Serbia and 

Montenegro3

 DOS NADR - CWD 3,238 1,408 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 5,646 

 Country Total 3,238 1,408 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 5,646 

Sierra Leone 

 DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 0 0 0 147 0 0 147 

 USAID 1,093 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,593 

 Country Total 1,093 500 0 0 0 0 147 0 0 1,740 

Solomon Islands 

 DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 400 557 957

 DOD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 325 325

 Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 400 882 1,282

Somalia 

 DOS NADR - CWD 5,943 0 0 0 754 1,523 2,000 2,325 2,500 15,045

 Country Total 5,943 0 0 0 754 1,523 2,000 2,325 2,500 15,045

South Sudan4

 DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,100 2,800 3,900

 DOD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 367 367

 Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,100 3,167 4,267

Sri Lanka 

 DOS NADR - CWD 4,175 2,700 1,108 400 1,479 6,600 4,400 2,500 4,804 28,166

 DOS - Other 122 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 122

 CDC 125 0 0 25 25 0 0 0 0 175

 DOD 247 0 0 0 0 98 280 0 262 887

 USAID 3,500 0 350 0 500 750 300 2,000 0 7,400

 Country Total 8,169 2,700 1,458 425 2,004 7,448 4,980 4,500 5,066 36,750

Sudan4 DOS NADR - CWD 3,754 3,060 3,020 3,325 4,643 4,600 5,350 2,800 0 30,552 

 Country Total 3,754 3,060 3,020 3,325 4,643 4,600 5,350 2,800 0 30,552 

Suriname DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 100 290 0 0 0 0 0 390 

 Country Total 0 0 100 290 0 0 0 0 0 390 

Swaziland 

 DOS NADR - CWD 210 0 0 0 0 0 229 0 0 439 

 DOD 836 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 836 

 Country Total 1,046 0 0 0 0 0 229 0 0 1,275 

Tajikistan 

 DOS NADR - CWD 0 200 300 0 180 0 2,194 1,000 1,691 5,565

 DOD 7 0 0 0 0 25 1,200 0 1,200 2,432

 USAID 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,500 1,500

 Country Total 7 200 300 0 180 25 3,394 1,000 4,391 9,497

Tanzania 

 DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 0 16

 DOD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 185 244 429

 USAID 1,200 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,700

 Country Total 1,200 500 0 0 0 0 0 201 244 2,145

Thailand 

 DOS NADR - CWD 4,190 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4,190

 DOD 3,087 8 8 86 0 1,400 1,500 0 1,500 7,589

 Country Total 7,277 8 8 86 0 1,400 1,500 0 1,500 11,779

Togo DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 32 

 Country Total 0 0 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 32 

Tunisia DOD 0 0 3 214 0 0 0 0 0 217 

 Country Total 0 0 3 214 0 0 0 0 0 217 

Uganda 

 DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 40 0 0 0 0 16 0 56 

 USAID 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,000 

 Country Total 1,000 0 40 0 0 0 0 16 0 1,056 

Ukraine 

 DOS NADR - CWD 642 1,500 1,500 1,800 1,000 0 2,590 4,500 1,500 15,032

 DOD 0 0 0 0 0 0 177 0 0 177

 Country Total 642 1,500 1,500 1,800 1,000 0 2,767 4,500 1,500 15,209

Uruguay DOS NADR - CWD 0 0 0 0 0 0 200 0 0 200 

 Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 200 0 0 200 

U.S. CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS DESTRUCTION Program Funding History (Fiscal Years 1993–2012)
TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY 67

(Dollars in thousands)

Country Sources FY93-04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 Total 

Uzbekistan DOD 0 0 0 0 0 30 69 0 0 99 

 Country Total 0 0 0 0 0 30 69 0 0 99 

Vietnam 

 DOS NADR - CWD 10,526 2,850 3,300 2,859 2,575 2,120 3,750 3,500 4,032 35,512

 CDC 900 400 400 74 74 0 0 0 0 1,848

 DOD 761 0 0 2 0 0 275 0 300 1,338

 USAID 17,530 500 3,264 0 1,500 605 1,500 1,900 0 26,799

 Country Total 29,717 3,750 6,964 2,935 4,149 2,725 5,525 5,400 4,332 65,497

Yemen 

 DOS NADR - CWD 7,686 750 700 900 500 609 1,000 1,075 3,135 16,355

 DOD 4,685 4 0 0 0 157 0 0 0 4,846

 Country Total 12,371 754 700 900 500 766 1,000 1,075 3,135 21,201

Zambia 

 DOS NADR - CWD 2,050 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,050 

 DOD 424 0 0 0 0 13 0 0 0 437 

 Country Total 2,474 0 0 0 0 13 0 0 0 2,487 

Zimbabwe 

 DOS NADR - CWD 3,086 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 250 3,336

 DOD 3,265 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3,265

 Country Total 6,351 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 250 6,601

Global/

Multi-country 

 DOS NADR - CWD 71,824 8,403 8,740 4,654 15,438 14,294 9,172 4,460 5,999 142,984

 DOS Other 1,450 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,450

 CDC 7,650 1,625 1,200 2,569 2,569 3,040 0 0 0 18,653

 DOD 174,237 14,874 1,576 2,820 1,949 5,462 49 682 1,106 202,755

 USAID 33,437 7,524 3,614 5,900 9,050 7,845 19,950 7,773 3,300 98,393

 Global Total 288,598 32,426 15,130 15,943 29,006 30,641 29,171 12,915 10,405 464,235

 Grand Total 960,297 122,340 115,620 106,799 147,238 160,840 201,132 163,917 189,848 2,168,031

U.S.CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS DESTRUCTION Program Funding History (totals By SOURCE)

 Sources FY93-04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 Total 

 NADR - CWD5 352,215 75,885 74,479 81,002 123,096 130,000 161,194 142,405 149,095 1,289,371

 DOS - Other6 41,865 0 2,000 0 992 2,644 0 0 17,800 65,301 

 CDC 19,325 4,125 3,900 3,900 3,900 3,040 0 0 0 38,190 

 DOD2,7 361,458 27,430 22,441 11,897 5,400 12,156 10,938 2,512 15,753 469,985 

 USAID Leahy 96,413 14,900 11,600 10,000 13,850 13,000 24,000 19,000 7,200 209,963 

 USAID Other 89,021 0 1,200 0 0 0 5,000 0 0 95,221 

 Grand Total 960,297 122,340 115,620 106,799 147,238 160,840 201,132 163,917 189,848 2,168,031

1. FY08 amount includes $110,000 from the Support for Eastern European Democracy (SEED) fund, which was apportioned as NADR.

2. All U.S. Central Command demining-centric activities for FY10 were conducted with Theater Security Cooperation funding pending new guidance from the Central Command Directorate for Strategic Plans and Policy, not funding from U.S. Overseas Humanitarian Disaster and Civic Aid 

(OHDACA).

3. Serbia and Montenegro split into two countries in 2007.

4. South Sudan and Sudan split into two countries in 2011.

5. Since FY11, the NADR-CWD category includes funding allotted to Humanitarian Demining, ITF Enhancing Human Security, and Small Arms and 

Light Weapons.

6. DOS - Other includes a variety of DOS funding sources.

7. DOD funds include OHDACA, the Research Development Test and Evaluation fund, the Humanitarian Assistance - Excess Property Program and the 

Iraq Relief and Construction fund.

For a more detailed version of this chart, including specific funding sources, 

please visit our website at

 http://state.gov/t/pm/rls/rpt/walkearth/index.htm
2013

1993

H

*

umanitarian Mine Action*

C onventional Weapons

Dest

ru

c

tion

The United States’ Commitment to Conventional Weapons Destruction

To Walk The Earth In Safety

SA-3, Suite 6100 | 2121 Virginia Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20522 | United States of America

telephone: +1 202 663 0100 | fax: +1 202 663 0090

http://state.gov/t/pm/wra

August 2013 | FY2012

United States Department of State | Bureau of Political-Military Affairs

Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stanley L. Brown (BrownSL@state.gov)

Deputy Director, Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steven Costner (CostnerSR@state.gov)

Acting Deputy Director, Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dennis Hadrick (HadrickDF@state.gov)

Director, Interagency MANPADS Task Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mark Adams (AdamsMW@state.gov)

Resource Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gerald Guilbert (GuilbertGL@state.gov)

Public Affairs and Public Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kristin Dowley (DowleyKA@state.gov)