C12.8.1. Definition. HMA includes activities related to the furnishing of education, training, and technical assistance with respect to detection, clearance, physical security, and stockpile management of land mines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW). ERW includes landmines, unexploded ordnance (UXO) (mortar rounds, artillery shells, bomblets, rockets, submunitions, rocket motors and fuel, grenades, small arms ammunition, etc.), and abandoned ammunition storage and cache sites.

C12.8.2. Authority. 10 USC Section 407 provides the authority for conducting HMA within DoD.

C12.8.3. Program Description. The goal of the DoD HMA program is to relieve human suffering and the adverse affects of landmines and ERW on noncombatants while advancing theater strategy, Theater Campaign Plan and U.S. national security objectives. DoD performs HMA activities in a country to help foreign governments in detection, clearance physical security, and stockpile management of landmines to include activities relating to the furnishing of education, training, and technical assistance with respect to landmines and other ERW.

C12.8.3.1. HMA provided by Department of Defense (DoD) shall complement and may not duplicate any other form of social or economic assistance that may be provided to the country concerned by any other department or agency of the United States. By law, DoD personnel may not engage in the physical detection, lifting or destroying of landmines or other ERW (unless the member does so for the concurrent purpose of supporting U.S. military operations). To a limited degree, supplies, services, and equipment are provided to assist in the conduct of training. Total cost of supplies, services, and equipment provided to foreign governments may not exceed $10M per fiscal year (all participating countries).

C12.8.3.2. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction (CJCSI) 3207.01B, 17 March 2011, defines the responsibilities and provides guidance for supporting HMA.

C12.8.4. Program Process. Any country experiencing the adverse affects of uncleared landmines and other ERW may request U.S. assistance. The country must formally request help from the DoS through the U.S. Embassy and the Country Team will provide a copy of the request to the regional Combatant Commander (CCDR). The Department of State (DoS) forwards the request to the Interagency Policy Coordination Committee Subgroup on HMA, referred to as the PCC, chaired by the National Security Council (NSC) staff, and the PCC determines if assistance is warranted.

C12.8.4.1. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) manages, coordinates, and monitors execution of DoD HMA training operations and related program activities. DSCA also assists the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), Combatant Command (CCMD) HQs, host nations, and other organizations in planning for, establishing, and executing mine action programs. DSCA reviews budget proposals for all demining-related activities in coordination with Special Operations & Low Intensity Conflict (SOLIC).

C12.8.4.2. Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) Project Nomination. When countries are accepted into the USG HMA program, the CCMD HMA Program Manager (PM), and members of other U.S. Government (USG) organizations, will conduct a program development visit (PDV), and other pre-deployment site surveys (PDSSs), to ascertain the affects of landmines or other ERW affecting the HN populace and infrastructure. The data collected during the survey is used to prioritize capability development requirements to facilitate HMA training and operations sustainment activities, and develop the HMA project for submission to the PCC. Projects are approved by the PCC and executed by the CCMD. The CCMD HMA PM, Security Cooperation Office (SCO), and/or DoD HMA implementing partner submit HMA projects into OHASIS indentifying the country for which assistance is needed, estimated assistance costs and source of funding, an executive summary describing the nature of the HMA problem, relevant background information, and a concise analysis and main conclusions to mitigate the HMA problem. The detailed elements of the project are the project justification, which is derived from the CCMD TCP and a detailed work description describing the type of supplies, equipment, and services (SE&S) for which project funding is used. Supporting elements of the project include the HMA mission-training plan supporting the HN two year training campaign, and a mission end state. Project completion occurs when all recommendations in the after action report (AAR) are complete. The AAR is a critical component of the project detailing what education and training activities were conducted, and milestones for future HMA engagement activities. It is critical that project AARs are submitted to the PCC, DSCA, and Humanitarian Demining Training Center (HDTC) independently, or included in project documents in OHASIS.

C12.8.4.3. Humanitarian Mine Action Restrictions. HDTC DoD civilians may deploy on a limited basis with the HMA training team to conduct “train the trainer” events, PDVs, and subsequent PDSSs. However, the primary means to qualify DoD personnel to conduct such events is for them to attend training at HDTC prior to deployment. U.S. GPF will be the force of choice for conducting HMA training with HNs, as defined by CJCSI 3207.01B. GPF can consist of any military specialty, but explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) (priority force), combat engineers, and light infantry lend themselves best for conducting "Train-the-Trainer" type HMA missions. EOD forces are the priority trained personnel, and are the only DoD personnel trained in the detection, identification, on-site evaluation, rendering safe, recovery, and final disposal of unexploded ordnance. EOD personnel are also trained to identify, recover, and evaluate new or modified first-seen explosive ordnance (EO), make technical assessments of such EO, and provide technical intelligence reports to appropriate EOD and intelligence agencies. EOD personnel can also develop new EOD procedure (including disposal procedures) for first-seen EO. EOD personnel have the training and skills necessary to identify safety, ammunition storage, and ammunition compatibility issues associated with safe stockpile management practices. Both GPF and Special Operations personnel conduct mine action training in the areas of operational mission planning, organization and execution of demining training. Military Information Support to Operations (MISO) personnel are trained to conduct mine risk education training programs with the HN and civil affairs personnel are best suited to assist the HN in establishing a national mine action management organization to build management, administration, logistics, equipment maintenance, communications, and information management capabilities. The HMA process is depicted in Figure C12.F1.

C12.8.4.4. HMA Program Activities. The DoD HDTC is located at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and is the training and information center for the U.S. HMA program. Established in 1996, the mission of HDTC is to train and prepare U.S. Forces for overseas deployment supporting USG HMA strategy in landmine and ERW affected countries. HDTC collects, analyzes, and disseminates HMA-related information to USG and international organizations in support of program and instructional course development, which is performed in accordance with USG policy, International Mine Action Standards (IMAS), and other open-source documentation. Training focuses on the deploying force mission, and the operational procedures and practices of the host-nation HMA program. Students, upon completion of the two-week Conventional Weapons Clearance Course (CWCC), are required to demonstrate proficiency in subjects ranging from 10 Section 407 and USG policy governing the U.S. HMA program to technical skill sets such as deminer training tasks in minefield clearance lanes and battle area clearance operations. HDTC curriculum also includes comprehensive strategies and methods to conduct battle-area clearance, provide HNs with EOD Level 1 training per IMAS, teach basic and advanced combat lifesaver individual and collective tasks, and provide Information Management Systems for Mine Action (IMSMA) instruction. U.S. forces attending HDTC use Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster and Civic Aid (OHDACA) funding to attend HMA resident courses, conduct requirements and pre-deployment surveys, and HMA training operations.

C12.8.5. Reporting Requirements. DSCA will submit an annual report to Congress that is due no later than March 1 of each fiscal year, detailing the expenses incurred as a direct result of providing humanitarian demining assistance under 10 Section 407. Information reported includes travel, transportation, and subsistence expenses of DoD personnel, equipment, services, or supplies acquired for the purpose of carrying out or supporting humanitarian demining activities, including any nonlethal, individual, or small-team equipment or supplies for clearing landmines or other explosive remnants of war that are to be transferred or otherwise furnished to a foreign country in furtherance of the provision of assistance under this section.

C12.8.5.1. The Secretary of Defense must include in the annual report under 10 USC 401, a separate discussion of activities carried out under Section 407 during the preceding fiscal year, including a list of the countries in which humanitarian demining assistance was carried out during the preceding fiscal year; the type and description of humanitarian demining assistance carried out in each country during the preceding fiscal year; a list of countries in which humanitarian demining assistance could not be carried out during the preceding fiscal year due to insufficient numbers of DoD personnel to carry out such activities; and the amount expended in carrying out such assistance in each such country during the preceding fiscal year.

Figure C12.F1. Humanitarian Mine Action Flow