Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Volume 7 Issue 1 The Journal of Mine Action Article 17

April 2003

The MINEX Center

Minex Minex MINEX

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Recommended Citation Minex, Minex (2003) "The MINEX Center," Journal of Mine Action : Vol. 7 : Iss. 1 , Article 17. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol7/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]. Minex: The MINEX Center

ocher munitions represent. Mine risk population's awareness. about neutralization procedures. This education is completed by concrete The training will be under the information can on ly be given ro The MIN EX Center assistance ro the victims of mines among responsibili ty of a French company accredited staff having all the technical chose populations, namely medical, accredited by the French Ministry of abilities to use it. ro engineer NCOs who have already surgical and orthopedic ca.re. Defen se. The School, as a service provider, This article highlights the efforts ofthe French Army Engineer School's MIN EX obrained the first two levels-MIN EX 2 Humanitarian demining remains rhe gives assistance in the form of offering Mine Risk Education program. and MJNEX Platoon Leader-assigned in main action of the program and is reaching help, lending technical and combat units and are volunreered to obtain composed as follows: infrastructure equipment and delivering a Awareness is one of the Center's byMINEX this reason, the French Army Engineer the third level. T he MIN EX 3 graduate is • The fi rst stage consists ofevaluating "Quality Label." The trainings are in capacities recognized throughout the School decided ro create the National particularly able to fulfil reconnaissance rhe threat and planning operations. accordance with the International Mine world; rhus, D F D-Tl CMA also History Cente r of Huma nitarian D e m ini ng missions over po lluted areas. He is also Oemining is a very complex, long and Action Standards (!MAS) decreed by the participates in several high-level trainings 1i:aining in 200 l. experienced enough ro dem olish or exacting task; a technical reconnaissance United Nations and adapted to the very for civilians, especially for students in law Since 1978, in the scop e o f neutralize known an1munirions, especially is conducted in order ro determine with specific needs of a country or an and politics from rhe university in Aix.-en­ cooperation or defense agreemenrs that Training landmines and arrack ammunitions. The precision the contaminated areas and to organization. Moreover, the Center works Provence (southern France), who are about link us to some counrries (e.g., C had and training lasts six weeks. optimize rime dedicated to clearance closely with inrernarional agencies that to work for international humanitarian Lebanon), th e French Engineers have T he courses dedicated ro engineer opera nons. deal with mine action. assistance and for Bioforce, an organization take n parr in overseas operatio ns in offi cers and NCOs are called M TNEX. MINEX StaffLevel • T he second stage is dedicated to the working with the World Health counrries rhar are greatly affected by the Following are brief descriptions of these M JNEX Staff Level trai ni ng is removal of mines (neutralization and Expertise Organization (intervening in training, problem o f mines and battle fi e ld courses. del ivered to confirmed and senior engineer demolition) and ro rhe determination of expertise and engineering). pollution, and that are no longer at war. officers. T he M IN EX Staff Level graduate quality assu rance (QA) (issuing an area The training and information center The departmen t also draws the Those sappers will acquire an experience MINEX J is authorized to se rve with in an army clearance certificate before the area is for mine action (DFD-TICMA) provides: attention ofsearchers, engineers and public recognized worldwide. MlNEX Level I corresponds to headquarters as a command adviser for the delivered back to the population). • Conceptual expertise allowing for or private agency technicians to the problem In 1992, in order to standardize mine rraining on individual clearing techniques, conceptio n and the cond uct of mine T he major part of an action program texts to be written (memos, rules, notes, ofmines and mine clearance within research clearance techniques and to elaborate an which are dedicated to all the military staff clearance missions, as well as in against mines is rhe training ofal l the actors studies). programs in that field. The department also acceptable uaining doctrine fo r all the in engineer regimenrs. T he traini ng is inrernarional bodies raking parr in mine implicated in it. T he National Center for • Technical expertise in research and organizes sessions to increase awareness military actors, the Joint Chiefs of Staff spread througho ut all the e ng ineer actiOn programs. Humanitarian Demining Training created development for new mine clearance about this problem in the French Army decided to create a training cenrer fo r post­ regimenrs and lasts about two weeks. in Angers gives to those people all the technologies. schools and units and also for the French war mine clearance within rhe French International Courses experience and the know-how of rhe • Advice to the ministries and to the or foreign forces overseas. • Army Engineer School in Angers called MINEX2 The French Army Engineer School French Army for all demining operations. Parliament National Commission for the "Cenrre MINEX." MIN EX Level 2 training is dedicated p roposes inrernarional courses for the Eradication of Ami-Personnel Mines. Contact Information The cenrer stood our rapidly at rhe to all the engineer squad leaders-ro-be, M INEX Plaroon Leader and M INEX National Center for The specialists working at the French inrernarionallevel thanks to the quality of whose field of specialty is "combat and Staff Level courses that would be open to Humanitarian Demining Army Engineer School have developed a Ecole Superieure er d'Applicarion du the reaching, experience of the staff and engineer techniques." T he soldier who has fo reign military specialists. For example, Training database containing more than 1,000 Genie consta nt innovations in de velopi ng obtained rhe MINEX 2 quali fication is the center has been training officers and different types of mines and sub munitions Deparremenr de Formation au pedagogic tools. able to command a squad for a mine NCOs from U.S. forces for more rhan five T he French Army Engineer School used all over rhe world. This database, Deminage At that rime, rhe French Army clearance action or for an area clearance years (twice per year). T he School also opens irs demining training ministry ro presented on CD-ROM, is an I 06, rue Eble Engineer School received two orders: and to rake part in actions of demolition t rain s foreign units before t hey are all the categories of sraff, dealing with internationally recognized reference in that B.P. 4125 • Train Engineer officers and no n­ or neutralization of known and studied committed overseas. humanitarian organizations or working for domain. The database gathers two kinds F 49041 ANGERS CEDEX OJ commissioned offi cers (NCOs) in ammunitions, including landmines, sub­ action o perations against mines. The of information: Tel: (+33) 2 41 24 82 27 post-war mine clearance. munitions, de moli tion equipment and Humanitarian Demining school proposes trainings for different • Technical information about Fax: (+33) 2 41 24 83 88 • C ollect and spread info rmation pyrotechnics. The training lasts about two personnel, incl ud ing management for characteristics and functioning of E-mail: concerning landmines and sub-munitions. weeks. Humanitarian demining is parr ofrhe dem in ing programs and o perations, ammunition; this information can be [email protected] Jn 1997, the process of rhe Ottawa action program against mines developed instructors, advisers, inspectors for QA and widely distributed. convenrion and France's ratification of it MINEX Platoon Leader by the United Narions.lr is a roo I for social specialists who wi ll help increase the • More confidential information opened the door to a new step: putting MINEX Platoon Leader training is and economic developmenr fo r civilian the abilities and expertise of French soldiers dedicated to young engineer officers as well populations and nations suffering from at the disposal o f rhe countries a nd as N C O candidates for the BSTAT mine and UXO contamination. lr is also organizatio ns rhar fight against anti­ (Supe rio r diploma fo r Fren ch Army a factor fo r new developmenr, si nce it personnel mines. technicians) assigned ro "combat engineer" al lows populations to recover free use of The MINEX Center became and "crossing" sections. The aim of this economic and social tools (culrures, " D ep a rre ment d e Formation a u level is to train platoon leaders to organize houses, ere.). D eminage" (DFD), a t raining and and command under safety rules, mine T he implementation of an action information cenrer for mine action, and clearing and clearance missions. program against mines requires several is still the only post-conflict mine clearance fu ndamenral parameters. T he very first training cenrer in France. The number of MINEX3 action aims ro increase awareness among training requests is widely increasing. For MINEX Level 3 training is opened populations of rhe danger that mines and

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