| History |
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One of the earliest known casualties of a land mine was a Union soldier killed by a Confederate landmine during the U.S. civil war in 1862. This problem has been around for 142 years. In 1918, late in the First World War, larger land mines that are more powerful were deployed to protect against tanks. During the Second World War, anti-personnel and anti-tank mines are employed in large quantities in all areas of war. Some of these were laid in such significant quantities they remain a menace today. In 1945, France marked the first effort to methodically and comprehensively clear landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXOs). In the 1970s, the US Department of Defense began replacing persistent (“dumb”) anti-personnel and anti-vehicle landmines in its stockpiles with self-destructing and self- deactivating (“smart”) landmines to prevent enemy use of US landmines against US forces and to minimize the threat to non-combatants (civilians). In June 1986, Honduras marks the first recorded effort by the United States to engage in what is now commonly known as humanitarian mine action. In 1992, The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is formed by a steering committee of non-governmental organizations consisting of Handicap International, Human Rights Watch, Medico International, Mines Advisory Group, Physicians for Human Rights and the Vietnam Veterans of American Foundation. The US formally establishes the U.S. Humanitarian Demining Program, an inter-agency (Department of State, Agency for International Development, Department of Defense) in effort to provide a full range of assistance to mine-affected countries that request US help. Since 1993, the US has spent over $700 million. In 1996, Sweden establishes the Swedish EOD and Demining Center (SWEDEC) in Ekjö with responsibility for training Swedish and foreign personnel in all aspects of military explosive ordnance disposal and in conducting research and development. Also in 1996, a German non-governmental organization, Menschen gegen mine (MgM) engaged in humanitarian mine action programs in Angola, Mozambique, and Namibia. In December 2002, the US formally renamed the U. S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program to more accurately reflect the scope of its activities. In an address to the UN General Assemble, President Bill Clinton becomes the first world leader to call for the eventual elimination of anti-personnel landmines. As of July 29, 2003, the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs stated that the U.S. views the following as the “pillars” of humanitarian mine action:
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