Special Representative for Mine Action Tours U.S. Department of Defense's Humanitarian Demining Training Center

During the visit, Special Representative Bloomfield and his team will receive hands-on training in the actual detection and clearance of simulated landmines.

"This visit will give us an inside look at a very important Defense Department program that has trained over 1000 U.S. Special Operations Forces in humanitarian demining. U.S. personnel trained here have, in turn, trained thousands of foreign deminers to international standards in 32 mine affected countries around the world," said Mr. Bloomfield. "Personally experiencing the exacting and physically grueling process of clearing landmines will give us all a better appreciation of the challenges faced by courageous deminers who confront the danger posed by live landmines every day."

Special Representative Bloomfield also serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs. The Bureau of Political-Military Affairs is responsible for the U.S. Department of State's humanitarian demining functions that include providing demining assistance worldwide and promoting public-private partnerships to reinforce official mine action efforts. The U.S. Department of Defense is an important member of the overall U.S. Government humanitarian mine action program.

To learn more about the U.S. Department of State's humanitarian demining activities, visit the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs website at http://www.state.gov/t/pm/. Click on Office of Humanitarian Demining Programs and Office of Mine Action Initiatives and Partnerships.

To learn more about the U.S. Department of Defense's Humanitarian Demining Training Center located at the U.S. Army Engineer School at Ft. Leonard Wood, visit http://www.wood.army.mil/CTSC/.