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Our Proposal for a Military Demining Team with a Humanitarian Mission
The Coalition Demining Team
The design we are proposing concentrates responsibility and capabilities under one management organization. This will allow the unit to immediately address any priorities designated by the BHMAC regardless of location or size. The design creates a single organization with domestic and international mandates. Once fielded and proven in BiH, this design can be emulated in any of the 60 other nations requiring humanitarian demining. This will provide NATO and the world with a capability that has never before been seen in military organizations but that will soon be mandated by the changing face of military stabilization operations. Through the use of NATO/EU supervision, the proposed unit will reinforce the legitimacy of the BiH demining effort, which in turn will attract sustained IC funding for state-of-the-art equipment and training. This influx of equipment alone will enable the unit to realize significant performance improvements for AF BiH demining operations. Our proposed demining unit improves the security and long term stability of BiH by accelerating the removal of the de facto BiH “Berlin Wall.” It also enhances the AF BiH restructuring plan, enhances BiH prospects for PfP cooperation, and provides a highly capable team for the implementation of humanitarian demining in NATO stabilization operations. This demining initiative is an investment in a focused solution to the BiH mine problem as well as having implications to meet global mine threats. This fact alone will make our proposal a key contributor to the U.S. Demining 2010 Initiative that aspires to clear the world of mines by 2010. The key is the simplicity of the basic units and the flexibility they provide. So what will the demining units look like?
Based on the key objectives above, the demining initiative we are proposing is formed from two key structures. These base structures are a Heavy Humanitarian Demining Company and a Light Humanitarian Demining Company.
The Heavy Humanitarian Demining Company (HDC(H)) provides a combination of manual deminers, EDDTs, and mechanical clearing equipment to answer the needs of complex terrain minefields. This company provides additional mechanical assets that are currently not part of AF BiH demining teams. The new combination of mechanical assets will allow the HDC(H) to clear more congested terrain at smaller levels. Should heavier equipment be required, the battalion headquarters is equipped to handle this need. The HDC(H) provides more readily available mechanical assets throughout BiH without the current dependence on commercial activities. This will allow the HDC(H) to mechanically prepare minefields more quickly and ease the work of the manual deminers they support.
The Light Humanitarian Demining Company (HDC(L)) is focused on manual demining, which is the only method to date that can clear minefields to humanitarian standards. Although it focuses on manual demining operations, it may assist in preparing areas for mechanical clearing and EDDT. The key here is to retain the skills and experience of the current manual deminers in this company. The light company may also be used to perform surveying that is now performed by the regional mine action centers and commercial activities.
Based on mission requirements, these companies will be task-organized and placed under the control of a Humanitarian Demining Battalion (HDBN) command team. The battalion headquarters is a key component as it provides the additional heavy demining assets required in support of demining operations in BiH. Our goal is to place these more technologically advanced demining systems directly in the hands of the BiH demining units, allowing them to complete the more difficult demining tasks. This is a dynamic step for a demining unit that until now was incapable of handling most mechanical demining activities. Rather than depending on commercial companies for this equipment, the demining battalion headquarters provides this equipment at key locations throughout BiH when required. Based on how the HDBN is organized, we calculate a demining rate of 12–24 sq km per year8 can be achieved.
The HDBN will report directly to the BiH Standing Committee on Military Matters (SCMM), which is a state-level quasi-equivalent to the U.S. Department of Defense. The BHMAC will continue providing operational direction for the HDBN, but it will also be supported with direct NATO/EU supervision. The NATO/EU supervision provides the required legitimacy that will attract sustained IC funding for state-of-the-art equipment.
Commercial Activities
Commercial activities have not been eliminated from the process. Commercial activities are very capable in technical surveys and will continue to provide this service. However, we propose reducing commercial demining operations to focus funding on the BiH team. This will allow BHMAC to leverage the already austere ITF funds available by focusing commercial activities on smaller and less costly demining projects. This in turn will provide an increase in the success rate of the commercial activities. To support this change, we are suggesting that once the BHMAC has contracted for the commercial activity, the demining battalion will coordinate the execution of the contract and will have oversight of the activity. This will require moving the current Field Operations Manager from the BHMAC liaison office to the HDBN headquarters to ensure commercial activities are coordinated with the AF BiH activities. Making use of the latest computerized demining support systems, the HDBN will ensure that commercial activities do not “rework” sites, which is seen as the most significant issue for commercial activities.
Is a Demining Brigade in our Future?
As we stated earlier, the funds and diplomatic support for a demining brigade cannot be realized. But we are confident that if the proposed demining units are successful, the BiH demining teams will be able to focus on international mandates also. With 60+ countries now in need of immediate demining support, the need for a humanitarian demining brigade in NATO or the EU is inevitable. We view our initiative as the initial step in creating a demining unit that is capable of dynamic growth to meet international demining mandates. This global team has added implications. One such implication is assistance in driving the commercial development of demining technologies. As the demining unit grows in size, it will generate long-term market drivers for enhanced equipment and research from the private sector. This in turn will help make demining more economically viable and accelerate an end to the global demining issue.
Bottom Line
Based on the initial review of costs for the unit, it will require $20 million to $23 million to implement this plan. Depending of the task organization of the HDBN, the estimated operational cost will be between $3 million and $17 million per year and should be totally funded by the BiH government. This will require that we hold BiH accountable for this cost through the restructured AF BiH budget and other BiH government funding. We are also still advocating a strong relationship with the ITF to leverage their funds for commercial activities. If these funds are properly managed by BiH with assistance from the NATO oversight team, we are confident that past dependence on uncertain donor funds can be significantly reduced if not eliminated. If something is not done to significantly reduce BiH dependence on the IC donors, the future of BiH demining is uncertain at best.
Conclusion
So where do we go from here? Although our focus is to eliminate donor funding in the future, we are working with the IC and the BHMAC to generate donor funding for the initial equipment costs. We are confident that IC donors will support this initiative based on the much-improved rate of return for their investment in this future EU member. Over the next few months, the team will be working with the SFOR AF BiH Restructuring Working Group to integrate this demining initiative into the future of BiH. Based on guidance from the OHR, the new military structure for BiH is to be implemented in January of 2004. The Defense Review Commission is working diligently to resolve any legislative or legal roadblocks for restructuring success. If we are successful, the team sees this as the beginning of a new era for coalition military operations. BiH is at a crossroads in its history where it may be the best suited and most capable country to help coalition countries make this paradigm shift.
*Graphic courtesy of the authors.
References
- MNB(N) Mine Cell Records, June 2003.
- BHMAC Brochure, 2002.
- Widely accepted by BHMAC, SFOR and industry contacts.
- International Trust Fund for Demining. http://www.itf-fund.si.
- Based on interviews with International Community financial and diplomatic activities.
- UNDP Land Mine Monitor Report, 2002.
- Stephanie Schlosser, "The Slovenian International Trust Fund for Demining—Help On the Way... It's Already Here." Journal of Mine Action, Issue 4.1. Available online: http://maic.jmu.edu/journal/4.1/slov-trust.htm.
- Estimate based on the operational rates of the proposed mechanical systems for the HDBN and the know performance rates of the AF BiH manual demining teams.
Contact Information
MAJ Tom Barnett
E-mail:
thomas.c.barnett@us.army.mil
CPT Kyle Shaffer
E-mail:
william.k.shaffer@us.army.mil
1LT Richard Weber
E-mail:
richard.weberjr@us.army.mil