The U.S. Army's Countermine Training Support Center and Humanitarian Demining Training Center
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Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Volume 5 Issue 1 The Journal of Mine Action Article 17 April 2001 The U.S. Army's Countermine Training Support Center and Humanitarian Demining Training Center Joseph M. Donahue Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal Part of the Defense and Security Studies Commons, Emergency and Disaster Management Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, and the Peace and Conflict Studies Commons Recommended Citation Donahue, Joseph M. (2001) "The U.S. Army's Countermine Training Support Center and Humanitarian Demining Training Center," Journal of Mine Action : Vol. 5 : Iss. 1 , Article 17. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol5/iss1/17 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction by an authorized editor of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Donahue: The U.S. Army's Countermine Training Support Center and Humanitarian Demining Training Center Asia & the Pacific CTSC & HDTC The U.S. Army's Countermine Training Support action community will be much better for specific mine action services. equipped to interact and cooperate in RONCO was tasked by DoS to the field. " Collaboration between provide HDTC with rwo experienced Center and Humanitarian Demining Training Center military and NGO mine action mine action technicians ro serve as organizations is essential to resolving instructors. During the author's In response to fo rmer Presid ent Clinton's Landmine policy directives, th e U.S. Army rhe global landmine contamination attendance at HDTC, a large portion problem with greater efficiency and of the technical instruction was Engineeri ng School fo rmed the Cou ntermine Training Support Center and th e speed. This collaboration should begin provided by these RONCO Humanitarian Demining Training Center at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. at rhe training institutions within these instructors: "Bart" Bartholomew, a communities. former Special Forces soldier, and Clarke George, a former Navy EOD government personnel deploying to By Joseph M. Donahue, Survey primary center for humanitarian mine Staffing technician. They have conducted mine affected countries. The training Action Center, VVAF action knowledge and skills. The rwo humanitarian demining operations in may be received either at Fort Leonard centers share facili ties and a joint CTSC/HDTC has an expen Bosnia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kuwait and Wood or through an MTT. Background mission statement and provide enced and diverse staff consisting of Nicaragua. Participation in the suppor t to U.S. governmen tal eight civilian (including rwo RONCO HDTC program is an important parr )emining he U.S. D epartment of agencies, international organizations, contractors) and three foreign military of the larger RONCO contribution to Defense (DoD) possesses a and other institutions involved in personnel. Two periodically seconded the broad range of U.S. government The Humanitarian Demining T mine action resource whose counrermine operations and humani by USAES to support CTSC, while mine action actiVIties. O perations O rientation Course is a existence is nor widely known in the tarian demining. Recently, H DTC SO/LIC funds the HDTC school and two-week program of instruction humanitarian demining commu nity. hosted the author as rhe first member personnel. HDTC sraffis drawn from rraining aimed at preparing U .S. Army Special In May 1996, the U.S. Army Engi of an NGO to attend training there. the special operations, explosive ord Operations Forces (SOF) to train neer School (USAES) at Fort Leonard I came to attend HDTC because nance disposal (EOD), combat engi CTSC/H DTC provides several foreign military and government Wood, Mo., established the Counter of continuing efforrs by members of neering and commercial communities. different mine action courses. T hese civilia n personnel ro implem ent mine Training Su pport Center demining programs." It further ex the NGO and U.S. m ilitary com The three foreign military exchange courses are targeted ar different national mine action programs. These (CTSC). In September of that year, plains that the "government program munities aimed at creating more personnel, Maj. Griffin and Warrant audiences, and may be taught either SOF personnel travel to numerous rhe Office of the Assistant Secretary is to train the trainers, including opportunities for positive interaction Officers Esrall and Clegg, are from rhe at Fort Leonard Wood or by Mobile countries to train their hosts how to of Defense fo r Special Operations and equipping rhe host nations to sustain and mutual support. The HDTC basic United Kingdom, New Zealand and Training Team (MTT). set up and conduct demining Low Intensity Confli ct (SOIL! C) es their own demining programs. The demining course is tailored for each Australia, respectively. These instruc operations. The humanitarian tablished the Humanitarian Demin U.S. Department of Stare [DoS] and mil itary ream attending the course to tors have extensive experience con ountermine Course demining training team consists of ing Training Center (HDTC) at Fort the Defense Department coordinate ensu re that the team has the ducting humanitarian demining and several SOF elements: Special Forces Leonard Wood, Mo. Both were cre rhe funding and priorities to meet the knowledge it needs to conduct a related operations in countries that CTSC conducts a two-day personnel conduct the train-the ated in direct response to the Presiden demining needs of each individual successful "train-the-trainer" program include Afghanistan, Bosnia, Cambo coun term ine sustain ment-trammg trainer portion for host nation de tial Land mine Policy Directive of May nation." in the host country that includes dia, Estonia, Kosovo, Mozambique, course for U.S. military engineer units miners, Civil Affairs personnel 1996. This document directs "lrhe] CTSC is a countermine training knowledge of the NGOs working in Swaziland and the Solomon Islands. preparing ro d eploy overseas. T his conduct mine action center training Department of Defense to ... signifi and information center, and although that country. Richard Kidd, program training may be provided at Fort and Psychological Operations cantly expand its human itarian d iscussed in rh is article, ir is not the manager for SAC, said, "By initiating RONCO Leonard Wood or through an MTT personnel conduct mine awareness demining program to train and assist focus. The p rimary subject of this collaborative efforts in the classroom, ar the unit point of origin. CTSC training. EOD personnel from all U.S. other countries in developing effective p iece is HDTC, the U.S. military's members of various sectors in the mine RONCO Consulting Cor maintains up-to-dare information military services are also included if poration is an international services regarding counrermine training, rhe mission requires their participa firm that provides advisory, training, doctrine and mine awareness. This tion. HDTC conducts an average of CTSC/HDTC Mission Statement implementation and man agement course focuses o n mil itary units and two courses each month and has assistance to private and public sector personnel. trained more than 850 student trainers clients. RONCO is the only U.S. firm since inception. Countries that have "The mission of CTSC/HDTC is to serve as training and information centers concern ing rhar has developed and uses "free vtme Awareness Training benefited from rhe program include countermine and demining operations, demolitions, UXO and mine awareness, and running" explosive detecting dogs Armenia and Azerbaijan (Beecroft booby traps. The centers research the latest lessons learned, tactics, techniques and (EDD). In August 1999, RONCO Mine awa reness training is Initiative-see page 113), Bosnia, procedures, and the use of mines by the United States and foreign countries. The was awarded a humanitarian demining integrated into both rhe CTSC and Cambodia, Chad, Djibomi, Ecuador, centers incorporate acquired information into current lessons and provide innovat ive contract by rhe DoS. DoS's Office of HDTC programs of instruction. Estonia, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, and realistic mine training tailored to a unit's needs. The centers also develop training Humanitarian Demining Programs However, chis training may also be Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, and training aids in support of countermine and demining operations/training." (Bureau of Political-Military Affairs) provided as a stand-alone course and Oman, Peru, Thailand, Yemen and d irects RONCO through task orders is available to all U.S. military and Zimbabwe. Published by JMU Scholarly Commons, 2001 • 102 • • 103 • 1 Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Vol. 5, Iss. 1 [2001], Art. 17 . Asia & the Pacific . CTSC & HDTC Practical Exercises means of maintaining quality control over our efforts." The Beecroft Initiative Several practical exercises (PE) are To speed the pace of reducing the techniques. To dare, approximately one audience of special operators may not conducted during the course, and rraining Products landmine th reat that endangers quarter of the world's humanitarian have previous mine action experience, students are tested daily by written popu lations in Armenia, Azerbaijan