Special Operations.Com
U.S. Special
Operations and Worldwide Humanitarian Demining Operations
The U.S.
European Command aggressively supports U.S. efforts
to help end the humanitarian tragedy caused by anti-personnel
landmines (APL) while still protecting U.S. forces
around the globe. APLs pose a significant threat in
many of the countries in the EUCOM area of responsibility.
Under the U.S. Humanitarian Demining Program, host
countries receive funding, equipment, training, mine
awareness education, and development of a permanent
infrastructure to safely dispose of hazardous landmines.
EUCOM currently supports humanitarian demining
in Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lebanon, Rwanda, Mozambique,
Chad, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and can be expected
to participate in numerous other demining operations
throughout the AOR in the future.
Forces conducting Humanitarian Demining Training
in the EUCOM AOR come under the operational control
of Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR)
ARTICLE
DOD DEPLOYS SOLDIERS WITH NEW
VEHICLE TO TRAIN NAMIBIAN DEMINING TEAMS
Four soldiers from the Army's 3rd Special Forces
Group headquartered at Ft. Bragg, N.C., are scheduled
to arrive in Namibia on Jan. 8, 1998, with a demining
berm processor vehicle. The soldiers will train Namibian
demining teams on the use of this new equipment.
This is a part of the United States' continuing humanitarian
demining program designed to assist host countries
in relieving human suffering by developing an indigenous
demining capability. The DoD has significantly expanded
its support to the government's humanitarian demining
program by developing new mine-detection and clearing
technology and sharing this technology with the international
community.
The berm processor, recently developed by the Army's
Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) Night Vision
and Electronic Sensors Directorate, Ft. Belvoir, Va.,
and now being deployed to Namibia, gives significant
capability to eliminate mine-infested mounds resulting
from mine clearing operations. This device mechanically
scoops up dirt, shakes out the mines from the dirt,
leaving them exposed on the ground for deminers to
safely destroy.
The 3rd SFG soldiers will use a "train the trainer"
approach to teach Namibians on the safe use of the
vehicle. Since 1995, U.S. personnel have been training
Namibian personnel in developing a national demining
program which includes education, identifying priorities
and needs, and training in mine detection and clearance.
The U.S. remains committed to this important effort.
Since 1993, the U.S. Government has spent over $153
million to train foreign deminers and provide equipment
in more than 15 landmine-plagued countries, to include
Bosnia, Cambodia, Rwanda, Mozambique and Namibia.
The death rate in Cambodia alone has dropped by 50
percent in provinces where the U.S. program has been
most active. In Mozambique 20,000 square kilometers
of land and over 6,000 kilometers of roads have been
cleared. The casualty rate in Ethiopia is down by
over 50 percent. In Namibia, the casualty rate is
down by 90 percent, and the country could be mine-free
in 1999.
