Dateline: 05/15/02

The U.S. military will hasten its deployment of land mines posing little or no threat to civilians, under a proposal approved last week by the House Armed Services Committee.  

The newly developed land mines can be activated or deactivated remotely, while still in the ground, via laptop computers. Should field commanders determine the enemy no longer threatened an area, the mines would simply be deactivated, thus protecting anyone who came into contact with them. The mines could just as easily be reactivated should the enemy return. Once hostilities end, the deactivated mines could be quickly and safely removed.

U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-Rhode Island 2nd) pressed for inclusion of a provision requiring the U.S. military to accelerate its use of the new 'safer' land mines in the Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 (H.R. 4546). Now cleared by the Armed Services Committee, the bill should be debated and voted on by the full house before the end of May.

"While the safety of our men and women in uniform must always be a top priority, the United States should make every effort to minimize threats to innocent people throughout the world,” said Rep. Langevin, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “Land mines are responsible for hundreds, if not thousands, of maimings or deaths each year in war torn areas. Thanks to new technology, the United States can protect its troops while preventing such tragedies."

Rep. Langevin also requested that the Pentagon provide Congress with information regarding how many land mines the U.S. has deployed and in which countries, as well as the potential dangers undetonated land mines pose to innocent civilians in foreign nations. He also asked the United States Army to explain why it has so far declined to adopt the use of the new civilian-friendly land mines.

Langevin has also urged the House Appropriations Committee to include $10 million for the International Trust Fund (ITF) for Demining and Mine Victim Assistance in the Fiscal Year 2003 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill. The ITF was created in 1998 and is responsible for approximately two-thirds of all demining operations in the Balkan region and is overseen by the Office of Humanitarian Demining Programs.

"As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I have made a commitment to protecting the safety of innocent civilians, while fully supporting the welfare of our servicemen and women who are protecting our freedom abroad," said Rep. Langevin. "Utilizing land mines that can be activated or deactivated based on specific circumstances will enable people in war torn regions to live without fear of hidden dangers lying beneath the ground."