U.S. policy regarding landmines.

• Author: Crook, John R.

The United States is not party to the Ottawa Convention on landmines (1) but has actively supported efforts by parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons to negotiate limitations on the deployment and use of varying types of landmines, including both anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines. A November U.S. Department of State fact sheet surveys U.S. policy regarding mine weapons.

[December 2007] marks the 9th anniversary of the entry into force of Amended Protocol II to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), the world's first landmine treaty, and to which the United States is a party. Next week the 8th meeting of states parties to an anti-personnel mine ban treaty, commonly known as the Ottawa Convention, will take place. We take this opportunity to reiterate United States landmine policy and actions.

POLICY: The military capabilities provided by landmines remain necessary for the United States to protect its armed forces and ensure the success of their mission. The United States is also committed to eliminating the humanitarian risks posed by all landmines--both anti-personnel and anti-vehicle. It stands with those who seek to protect innocent civilians from these weapons. However, the United States has not signed the Ottawa Convention because it fails to balance legitimate military requirements with humanitarian concerns.

ACTIONS: In 1992 the United States banned the export of its antipersonnel mines. In 1999 it removed its last minefield, which protected its base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and ratified Amended Protocol II. In 2004 the United States committed to never employ a "persistent" (long-lived) landmine after 2010, relying instead only on short-duration, self-destructing/self-deactivating mines that cease to be a threat within hours or days after combat. In 2005, the United States banned the use of non-detectable mines, both anti-personnel and antivehicle, surpassing the requirements of both landmine treaties. In 2006, the United States, joined by 24 other states, issued a...