2004 press releases

Landmines: U.S Making the Largest Global Contribution to Reducing Humanitarian Risks

March 25, 2004

The United States is committed to eliminating the humanitarian risks posed by landmines.

The indiscriminate use of persistent landmines is a serious humanitarian problem around the world. Persistent landmines are those munitions that remain lethal indefinitely, affecting civilians long after military action is over.

At the same time, the military capabilities provided by landmines remain necessary for the United States military to protect our forces and save lives.

To address the humanitarian problem caused by the indiscriminate use of persistent landmines, the President has announced a bold, comprehensive policy on the use of landmines that, unlike any previous landmine policy, covers all persistent landmines, both anti-personnel AND anti-vehicle.

No country does more than the United States to support humanitarian mine action, including landmine clearance, mine risk education, and victim assistance.

The United States has provided nearly $800 million to 46 countries since 1993 to clear landmines and help civilians.

Funding for the State Department's portion of the United States Humanitarian Mine Action Program will be increased by an additional 50 percent over FY03 baseline levels to $70 million a year, significantly more than any other single country.

THE NEW POLICY:

The United States has committed to eliminate persistent landmines of all types from its arsenal.

The United States will continue to develop non-persistent anti-personnel and anti-tank landmines. As with the current United States inventory of non-persistent landmines, these mines will continue to meet or exceed international standards for self-destruction and self-deactivation. This ensures that, after they are no longer needed for the battlefield, these landmines will detonate or turn themselves off, eliminating the threat to civilians.

The United States will continue to research and develop enhancements to the current technology of self-destructing/self deactivating landmines to develop and preserve military capabilities that address our transformational goals.

The United States will seek a worldwide ban on the sale or export of all persistent landmines to prevent the spread of technology that kills and maims civilians.

Within one year, the United States will no longer have any non-detectable mine of any type in its arsenal.

Today, persistent anti-personnel landmines are ONLY stockpiled for use by the United States in fulfillment of our treaty obligations to the Republic of Korea. Between now and the end of 2010, persistent anti-vehicle mines can only be employed outside the Republic of Korea when authorized by the President. After 2010, the United States will not employ either of these types of landmines.

Within two years, the United States will begin the destruction of those persistent landmines that are not needed for the protection of Korea.

Funding for the State Department's portion of the United States Humanitarian Mine Action Program will be increased by an additional 50 percent over FY 03 baseline levels to $70 million a year, significantly more than any other single country.