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Humanitarian Demining in the Sultanate of Oman
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Oman has moderate mine contamination, weather conditions have
contributed to the difficulty of locating some mines. In January
2001, USCENTCOM implemented a train-the-trainer program, which
complemented Oman’s 15 year demining effort. |
by LTC Steve Soucek and MAJ Darrell
Strother
Background
Oman has a low to
moderate landmine/unexploded ordnance (UXO) problem. Anti-tank (AT) and
anti-personnel (AP) landmines were laid in the Dhofar region between
1964 and 1975 during an internal struggle with the People’s Front for the
Liberation of Oman and the Arabian Gulf (PFLOG, later shortened to PFLO,
a communist separatist group). Both the Royal Army of Oman (RAO)—with
its allies Jordan, Iran and the United Kingdom—and the PFLO used
landmines during the conflict; the RAO to support defensive positions or
to interdict the separatists’ movements, and the separatists to ambush
the RAO and allied units.
Approximately 5000 square km of the
Dhofar district are affected by landmines/UXO left over from the
conflict. The RAO and its allies used a wide range of AP landmines (US,
German, Israeli, British) to support various defensive positions.
According to the RAO, the majority of the mine fields were not mapped or
marked, nor cleared at the conclusion of the conflict. The PFLO,
supported by Marxist south Yemen and other Soviet bloc countries, used a
variety of Eastern Bloc AT and AP landmines to protect their positions
and to ambush RAO and allied forces. They too failed to map, mark or
clear their mine fields. Heavy seasonal monsoon rains, terrain, and soil
conditions have allowed a number of these mines to migrate from their
original positions, which further contributes to the difficulty of
locating the mines. The RAO has plotted suspected mined areas where
known defensive positions were established during the conflict and where
incidents occurred in recent years.
The RAO established seven zones of
suspected mined areas based on historical records of battlefield areas,
unit positions and landmine incident/accident reports. The map in
Figure 1 shows the approximate boundaries of each zone.
Request for Special
Assistance
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Clearance Training |
In June 1999, the Sultanate of Oman
requested U.S. government assistance with their 15-year demining effort.
By November 1999, the Department of State (DS) and the Department of
Defense (DoD) jointly had led a series of policy and planning visits to
Oman that culminated in the Jan 2001 implementation of a U.S.-integrated
train-the-trainer program for the engineer cadre and mine clearing
troops of the Royal Army of Oman (RAO) Sultan’s Armed Forces’
Engineers (SAF-E). With U.S. assistance, RAO ultimately aims to develop
a model Humanitarian Demining (HD) program that combines highly trained
mine clearing cadre and troops, mine detecting handlers and dogs,
mechanized mine detection and/or clearance equipment, and the latest
associated HD technology in a synchronized package.
As a component of the U. S. Central
Command (USCENTCOM), U.S. Army Forces Central Command (USARCENT) and
U.S. Special Operations Forces trained more than 70 RAO demining and
medical personnel in the areas of Mine Field Survey, Marking and
Detection, Information Management, Mine Awareness, Quality Assurance
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Mine Dog Team |
and Medical Skills during January-April 2001. At the completion of
training, USCENTCOM donated all training detectors, survey and
protective equipment as well as the Information Management and Mine
Awareness computer hardware and software to the RAO for their future
training programs.
By design, DOS initiated concurrent
mine detecting dog (MDD) and handler training in January 2001. DOS plans to
finish the MDD training in November 2001, and to formally transfer RAO’s five
dog MDD force to RAO’s newly trained eight man MDD handler detachment.
USCENTCOM and USARCENT will conduct periodic assessment visits with the
aim of helping ensure Oman has a viable, self-sustaining HD program
toward the end of 2003.
The Oman HD program strategy is
practical and supportable. RAO is complementing a disciplined,
successful organization with enhanced technology, training, additional
personnel and proven international HD techniques, while further
enhancing their HD program with USCENTCOM assistance. Oman aims to
achieve a goal of 80 percent of all suspected mined areas cleared to
United Nations standards within eight years. RAO will continue to
cooperate and coordinate on a regular basis with the U.S. Embassy
Country Team and USCENTCOM representatives to achieve their goal.
Successful RAO demining efforts will also contribute to the Country Team’s
Mission Performance Plan goal of improving regional and peninsular
stability.
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Mine Detector Training |
Oman continues to contribute
significant resources to their HD program. Emphasizing the point made in
2001 and 2002 Country plans, RAO contributed an estimated $1.6 million
(U.S.) annually since formation of the mine clearing troop in 1984, and for
four of the interim years they doubled their contribution to an
estimated $3.2 million. RAO’s current contribution is now even greater
since they have added command emphasis, increased manpower, new HD
kennel and office construction, and a continuous year-round demining
operation. The Oman HD strategy is completely consistent with the
program goals, and will serve as a model template for Humanitarian
Demining and effective U.S. engagement through training assessment and
sustainment visits.
Accomplishments
RAO’s key HD
accomplishments to date include restructuring their Engineer School
structure and curriculum to accommodate U.S. HD training, restructuring
their Mine Clearing Troop and training cycle to coincide with
internationally recognized standards, and creation of the National Mine
Action Center (MAC) in Muscat and the Regional Mine Action Center (RMAC)
in Salalah. Additionally, in May 2001, RAO deployed their newly trained
and equipped Mine Clearing Troop to their priority clearance area in the
vicinity of Sarfait, and have since found three significant UXO. RAO
MDD training has gone well under the direct oversight of the DS MDD
contractor, RONCO. Additionally DoD, DOS, USARCENT, and the Embassy
Country Team have recently concluded a mechanical mine clearing survey
in the Habrut area of Dhofar. As there is likely a very low density of
mines and UXO remaining in the affected areas, the most important
future progress metrics will probably address area clearance, the amount
of land made available for productive use, km of
road cleared, and the number of mine fields identified, mapped and
marked.
Program Status and
Conclusion
Mine clearing
operations are ongoing, and RAO is still refining their organizational
structure. The structure essentially evolved from a unit capable of
conducting combat engineering clearing procedures only, comprised of 40
deminers and 20 support troops, to that of a complex, multifunctional HD
unit. RAO now has 70 soldiers dedicated to accomplishing all HD
functions, a core of trained demining cadre, and 12 medical personnel
that are trained to handle blast injuries typically caused by UXO and
mine incidents (medics will deploy with every demining troop rotation
cycle). The demining sections will serve two-year rotations, and the
information management, mine awareness and dog handling personnel
volunteered for six-year service periods prior to starting their
specialized training. Future DoD training will result from operational
demining training deficiencies identified during USCENTCOM periodic
training assessment visits.
*All photos courtesy of CENTCOM
Biographies
LTC Steve Soucek is
the Chief of Army Programs, OMC Oman.
MAJ Darrell Strother is Chief,
Humanitarian Demining ARCENT/Engineers. He is the leader of USCENTCOM’s
HD training program to Oman.
Contact Information
Steve Soucek
Tel: 968-698-989, ext 440
E-mail: ssoucek@san.osd.mil
Darrell Strother
Tel: 404-464-3534
E-mail: darrell.strother@arcent.army.mi
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