Demining Vehicle to Namibia
January 6, 1998 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DOD DEPLOYS SOLDIERS WITH NEW VEHICLE TO TRAIN NAMIBIAN DEMINING TEAMS
Four soldiers from the Army's 3rd Special Forces Group headquartered at Ft. Bragg,
N.C.
Scheduled to arrive in Namibia on Jan. 8, 1998, with a Demining Berm Processor Vehicle.
The soldiers will train Namibian demining teams on the use of this new equipment.
This is a part of the United States' continuing humanitarian demining program designed to assist host countries in relieving human suffering by developing an indigenous demining capability.
The DoD has significantly expanded its support to the government's humanitarian demining program by developing new mine-detection and clearing technology and sharing this technology with the international community.
The berm processor, recently developed by the Army's Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate, Ft. Belvoir,
VA.
Now being deployed to Namibia, gives significant capability to eliminate mine-infested mounds resulting from mine clearing operations.
This device mechanically scoops up dirt, shakes out the mines from the dirt, leaving them exposed on the ground for deminers to safely destroy.
The 3rd SFG soldiers will use a "train the trainer" approach to teach Namibians on the safe use of the vehicle.
Since 1995, U.S. personnel have been training Namibian personnel in developing a national demining program which includes education, identifying priorities and needs, and training in mine detection and clearance.
The U.S. remains committed to this important effort.
Since 1993, the U.S. Government has spent over $153 million to train foreign deminers and provide equipment in more than 15 landmine-plagued countries, to include
Bosnia, Cambodia, Rwanda, Mozambique and Namibia.
The death rate in Cambodia alone has dropped by 50 percent in provinces where the U.S. program has been most active.
In Mozambique 20,000 square kilometers of land and over 6,000 kilometers of roads have been cleared.
The casualty rate in Ethiopia is down by over 50 percent.
In Namibia, the casualty rate is down by 90 percent, and the country could be mine-free in 1999.
