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RESPONSE TO THE LANDMINE THREAT IN BOSNIA

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL
SECURITY, MILITARY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
SUBCOMMITTEE, JOINT WITH MILITARY PROCUREMENT
SUBCOMMITTEE

Washington, DC, Wednesday, January 24, 1996. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 2 p.m., in room 2118, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Curt Weldon (chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Research and Development) presiding.

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. CURT WELDON, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM PENNSYLVANIA, CHAIRMAN, MILITARY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE

Mr. WELDON. The Subcommittee on Military Research and Development, in joint hearing with the Military Procurement Subcommittee, will come to order. I apologize for the delay.

As most of you are aware, we are doing the Defense Authorization Act version No. 2, 3 or 4, whatever you want to call it, on the House floor today, so many of our colleagues are there and will be joining us in a matter of moments. Mr. Hunter is on his way over, and others, and I apologize for the delay we have caused here.

Today, the Military Research and Development Subcommittee and the Military Procurement Subcommittee meet jointly to review the United States response to the landmine threat in Bosnia. The decision to deploy United States forces to Bosnia as peacekeepers has raised serious questions concerning the threat of landmines to our soldiers, airmen, and marines who will be deployed to that region and who are deployed there now.

Various estimates have put the number of mines at Bosnia at over 2 million, many of them in unmarked minefields or scattered indiscriminately throughout the countryside. Landmines have already taken the lives and limbs of soldiers assigned to the United Nations Provisional Force [UNPROFOR] force in Bosnia and have caused their first casualties among United States and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] forces deployed there.

Considering the landmine threat in Bosnia, concerns have been raised about United States force's ability to conduct countermine missions, particularly those involving area clearance, a capability that shares methods commonly used in humanitarian demining operations.

The widespread use of landmines by the belligerent forces in Bosnia, in marked and unmarked minefields and indiscriminate scattering of individual mines, poses a number of challenges in landmine detection and destruction. Although the military services

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are developing several technologies that could provide an increased countermine capability, the state-of-the-art in countermine technology is still the hand-held mine detector and a soldier on his hands and knees using a fiberglass mine probe.

Today, the subcommittees will review the Department of Defense countermine and other demining and explosive ordnance disposal programs. We want to gain an understanding of the readiness of United States forces to deal with the landmine threat in Bosnia, what has been done to improve that capability, what technologies could be developed and procured which would improve the countermine capability of United States forces in Bosnia or in future Bosnia-like operations, and what barriers need to be overcome from the standpoints of technology, organization, and funding priorities to provide such capabilities.

I might add that this committee has been very supportive of funding requests above and beyond the requests made by the administration in this area. We will continue to be aggressive in our support financially of the need as determined by the military and by this committee.

Gentlemen, we look forward to your testimony today and to the dialogue that will follow. Before you begin, I would yield to Mr. Hunter. He is not here, so I will yield to Mr. Evans and any other Members who may want to make opening comments/before we begin the formal proceedings.

[The statements of Congressman Weldon and Congressman Hunter follow:]

OPENING STATEMENT OF CURT WELDON

CHAIRMAN, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMITTEE

HEARING ON RESPONSE TO THE LANDMINE THREAT IN BOSNIA JANUARY 24, 1996

TODAY, THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE

AND THE MILITARY PROCUREMENT SUBCOMMITTEE MEET JOINTLY

TO REVIEW THE U.S. RESPONSE TO THE LANDMINE THREAT IN

BOSNIA. THE DECISION TO DEPLOY U.S. FORCES TO BOSNIA AS

PEACEKEEPERS HAS RAISED SERIOUS QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE THREAT OF LANDMINES TO OUR SOLDIERS, AIRMEN, AND MARINES, WHO WILL DEPLOY TO THAT REGION. VARIOUS ESTIMATES HAVE PUT THE NUMBER OF MINES IN BOSNIA AT OVER

2 MILLION, MANY OF THEM IN UNMARKED MINEFIELDS OR SCATTERED INDISCRIMINATELY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRYSIDE.

LANDMINES HAVE ALREADY TAKEN THE LIVES AND LIMBS OF SOLDIERS ASSIGNED TO THE UNPROFOR FORCE IN BOSNIA AND

HAVE CAUSED THEIR FIRST CASUALTIES AMONG U.S. AND OTHER

NATO FORCES DEPLOYED THERE.

CONSIDERING THE LANDMINE THREAT IN BOSNIA, CONCERNS HAVE BEEN RAISED ABOUT US FORCES ABILITY TO CONDUCT

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INCREASED COUNTERMINE CAPABILITY, THE STATE OF THE ART IN COUNTERMINE TECHNOLOGY IS STILL THE HAND-HELD MINE

DETECTOR AND A SOLDIER ON HIS HANDS AND KNEES USING A

FIBERGLASS MINE PROBE.

TODAY, THE SUBCOMMITTES WILL REVIEW THE DEPARTMENT

OF DEFENSE COUNTERMINE AND OTHER DEMINING AND EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL PROGRAMS. WE WANT TO GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE READINESS OF U.S. FORCES TO DEAL WITH THE LANDMINE THREAT IN BOSNIA, WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO IMPROVE THAT CAPABILITY, WHAT TECHNOLOGIES COULD BE DEVELOPED AND PROCURED WHICH WOULD IMPROVE THE

COUNTERMINE CAPABILITY OF U.S. FORCES IN BOSNIA, OR IN

FUTURE BOSNIA-LIKE OPERATIONS, AND WHAT BARRIERS NEED TO

BE OVERCOME FROM THE STANDPOINTS OF TECHNOLOGY,

ORGANIZATION, AND FUNDING PRIORITIES TO PROVIDE SUCH

CAPABILITIES?

GENTLEMEN, WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR TESTIMONY

TODAY AND TO THE DIALOGUE THAT WILL FOLLOW. BEFORE YOU

BEGIN, I WOULD YIELD TO DUNCAN HUNTER, CHAIRMAN OF THE

MILITARY PROCUREMENT SUBCOMMITTEE.

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