A Note from the Interim Director

We sincerely appreciate our contributors’ time in writing and willingness to share their research and program work, as well as the successes and challenges they have encountered in their operations over the past year.

Ukraine: Through the Eyes of the People by Sean Sutton [ MAG, Mines Advisory Group ]

During my time in Ukraine, I found many examples of makeshift signs warning returning civilians that strategically planted explosive weapons were somewhere inside or nearby.

Open-Source Research and Mapping of Explosive Ordnance Contamination in Ukraine by Andro Mathewson [ The HALO Trust ]

The HALO Trust (HALO) has successfully harnessed open-source research to better plan and conduct survey, clearance operations, and explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) across Ukraine. 

Explosive Weapons Use and the Environmental Consequences— Mapping Environmental Incidents in Ukraine by Linsey Cottrell, Eoghan Darbyshire, PhD [ Conflict and Environment Observatory ], and Kristin Holme Obrestad [ Norwegian People’s Aid ]

The war in Ukraine has highlighted the heavy toll on the environment, and the risk of significant environmental harm. 

A Brief History of Mine Detection Dogs by Roly Evans [ Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining ]

A brief history of the contribution of MDDs over the past eight decades can help us put their performance into perspective and understand where they can add significant value, while also appreciating their limitations. 

Clear then Grow: Integrating Mine Action with Food Security in Northeast Syria by Katarina Cvikl Balić [ ITF Enhancing Human Security ]

Aiming to find linkages between clearance efforts and food security , this article, however, looks at the operationalization of these links through an integrated mine action and agriculture.

Gender and Operational Efficiency by Raphaela Lark, David Hewitson [ Fenix Insight Ltd ], and Dominic Wolsey [ Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining ]

The aim of the study is to address stereotypes and unproven assumptions that may still exist in the mine action sector regarding women’s performance and availability to work in certain field-based roles.

The Deadly Legacy of World War II in Alaska by Ken Rutherford, PhD [ James Madison University ]

Large quantities of UXO remain from the fourteen-month Aleutian Islands campaign during WWII to recapture the Aleutian Islands.

How Can Mine Action Improve the Management of Free from Explosive (FFE) Items? by Roly Evans [ Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining ]

Assessing and making items free from explosive (FFE) are among the most dangerous things we do in mine action and are perhaps the least regulated.

Mapping Unexploded Ordnance in Syria: Harnessing the Power of Open-Source Information by Hampton Stall, Jennifer Hudson, Evan Leendertse, Hari Prasad, Chris McNaboe, Rana Shabb, and Jonathan Robinson

To begin the process of clearing these ERW, desk studies/non-technical studies can be utilized to initially assess the concentration and distribution of explosive weapons across a conflict zones.

The Time Has Come for Digital Explosive Ordnance Risk Education by Robin Toal [ MAG, Mines Advisory Group ]

The increase in the number of civilian casualties from landmines and other explosive ordnance (EO) in recent years has driven the demand for new and innovative ways to provide communities with risk education.

The Evolution of Physical Security and Stockpile Management: A Successful Implementing Partnership Perspective by Lee Moroney [ Golden West Humanitarian Foundation ] and Mark Veneris [ US European Command HMA Program ]

To avoid unplanned explosion of munitions (UEM) and to lower the risk of illicit diversion, the humanitarian requirements ensuring strong ammunition management structures have been well documented.