U.S. Army Special Forces - Humanitarian Demining

Overview

The United Nations (UN) estimates that landmines kill and maim more than 26,000 innocent civilians annually.  The dead and maimed often include women and children.  The UN also estimates that there are more than 110 million landmines in the ground around the world and more than 10 million mines manufactured annually.   The end of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm left more than 7 million landmines in the ground.  With one million mines in Somalia and over 6 million mines littered across the former Yugoslavia, mines pose a significant threat to deployments of U.S. Forces.  The Department of Defense has become acutely aware of the need for increased countermine and mine awareness training, improved mine detection and neutralization technologies.  A landmine can cost as little as $5 to manufacture and emplace but removal costs can start at $300 per mine.  Most developing countries can not afford the cost of demining their homeland.  Landmines hamper economic development, refugee resettlement, and affect every aspect of a nations ability to recover from a military conflict.  Many nations around the world suffer from the ravages of landmines.  In an effort to better prepare our military forces against the mine threat and to assist nations suffering from the adverse effects associated with landmines, Department of the Army established CTSC and Department of Defense established HDTC. 

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