Humanitarian Demining
Abstract
The Humanitarian Demining Research and Development (HD R&D) program develops, demonstrates and validates cost-effective technologies for use in humanitarian demining via Outside Continental United States (OCONUS) operational field evaluations. The HD R&D program's low-cost and highly effective technology reduces the landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) / improvised explosive devise (IED) threat to deployed United States (US) forces and the local population. The HD R&D program coordinates with the Department of State's Weapons Removal and Abatement Program, the Department of Defense DoD Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) programs of the Combatant Commands (CCMDs), and international mine action organizations and foreign militaries. New technology requirements and areas of emphasis are identified and validated at annual Requirements Workshop and UXO/IED Working Group Meetings. Technology investments are prioritized using the results of these meetings and CCMD security cooperation and theater campaign plan HMA objectives. The HD R&D program advances the state-of-the-art of demining technologies and evaluates these technologies utilizing host nation humanitarian demining partners. The HD R&D program supports and bolsters the CCMD stability operations mission as directed under Department of Defense Instruction (DODI) 3000.05 to foster mil-to-mil engagement, and bolster economic security and development with partner nations worldwide. Additionally, the HD R&D program fosters nations' mine action capacity while improving DoD's visibility and access, generating long-term positive perceptions of DoD and the US, and fostering collaborative relationships with host nation governments. It also directly supports the National Defense Strategy through ensuring common domains remain open and free. The HD R&D Program utilizes a research and development plan based on operational test data gained through Operational Field Evaluations (OFEs). These OFEs provide the HD R&D program a unique capability to collect this data against live mines/UXO in actual minefields around the world. This data is unavailable to any other DoD organization. This OFE data drives future HD R&D program investment decisions and is shared and leveraged by the U.S. Army's Army Futures Command programs to further improve U.S. forces' technologies. In addition, the HD R&D program provides mine and UXO detector training to the CCMDs at the Humanitarian Demining Training Center (HDTC) in support of Military to Military training and partnerships. Since 1995 the program has fielded technologies for 234 evaluations in 43 countries, including Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Colombia, Iraq, Kosovo, Ukraine, and Vietnam. The program's technologies have cleared 71.2 million square meters of the world's toughest minefields, and found or destroyed 213,220 mines and UXO. The HD R&D program supports the DoD's strategic guidance to address instability and reduce the demand for significant US force commitments to stability operations; with (DODI) 3000.05 (Stability Operations) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction (CJCSI) 3207.01C (Department of Defense Support to Humanitarian Mine Action) to reduce the social, economic and environmental impact of landmines and unexploded ordnance. This PE will be executed by the Army Futures Command (AFC). Work in this PE was previously conducted under DoD PE 0603920D8Z, Humanitarian Demining.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2021
- Source ID
- CD5_0603920A_3_2040_PB_2021
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