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Hidden Killers 1998: The Global Landmine Crisis Annex F: Glossary

Annex F: Glossary

This Glossary is divided into two parts. Section 1 contains definitions of key terms, and Section 2 contains abbreviations and acronyms used throughout this document.

Section 1: Definitions of Key Terms

Antipersonnel Mine-- An explosive or material, normally encased, designed to wound, kill, or otherwise incapacitate personnel. It may be detonated by the action of its victim, by the passage of time, or by controlled means. (Glossary, International Standards for Humanitarian Mine Clearance Operations, UN, 1) A mine designed to kill or wound individuals (as opposed to tanks or other vehicles). (U.S. Army Field Manual [FM] 20-32, Mine/Countermine Operations, September 30, 1992, 1-5, 1-8)

Booby Trap-- Any device or material which is designed, constructed, or adapted to kill or injure and which functions unexpectedly when a person or object (vehicle) disturbs or approaches an apparently harmless object or performs an apparently safe act. (ISHMCO, 2)

Clearance-- Clearing an area of all mines, unexploded ordnance (UXO), and improvised explosive devices (IED) to a predefined standard. (Glossary, ISHMCO, 3) The total elimination or neutralization of mines from an area. (FM 20-32, 8-1) An operation designed to clear or neutralize all mines and obstacles from a route or area. (U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Publication 3-15, Joint Doctrine for Barriers, Obstacles, and Mine Warfare, June 30, 1993,GL-3)

Clearance Standards-- The standards that are to be applied to clearance operations. In the UN it is normally achieved to a clearance standard of 100 percent with a tolerance error of not more than 0.4 percent. (ISHMCO, 3)

Clearing Operations-- The total elimination of a minefield or UXO over a defined area. (FM 20-32, Glossary-3)

Demining-- See Humanitarian Demining.

Demining Operations-- Any activity or operation related to humanitarian demining executed in support of a national headquarters or national demining office. (U.S. Army Training Circular [TC] 31-34, Humanitarian Demining Operations Handbook, September 24, 1997, Glossary-5) (See also Mine Action Center)

Detection-- The actual confirmation and location of mines. (FM 20-32, 9-1)

Disarming-- The act of making a mine safe by removing the fuse or igniter. The procedure normally removes one or more links from the firing chain (ISHMCO, 4). (See also neutralization)

Donor-- Any government, individual, foundation, or other philanthropic entity that provides funds and/or non-monetary resources for the specific purpose of alleviating the effects of the landmine problem.

Explosive Ordnance-- Munitions that contain explosives, nuclear fission or fusion material, or biological or chemical agents. (ISHMCO, 4)

Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)-- The detection, identification, field evaluation, rendering safe, recovery, and disposal of UXO. EOD may be undertaken (1) as a routine part of mine clearance operations upon the discovery of UXO; (2) to dispose of UXO discovered outside mined areas (a single UXO, or a larger number inside a specific area); or (3) to dispose of explosive ordnance which has become hazardous by damage or destruction. (ISHMCO, 4)

Hand Clearance-- The act of clearing hazardous areas manually. Normally refers to clearance teams using mine detectors and probes. (ISHMCO, 5)

Humanitarian Demining -- Any activity associated with ameliorating or eliminating the landmine problem and its effects in a host nation and providing assistance to and rehabilitating its victims. Typically, humanitarian demining consists of four activities: mine awareness, mine assessment and survey, mine clearance, and victim assistance. (NOTE: This definition is at variance with, and more comprehensive than, the UN definition of demining, which addresses only the "aspects of mine clearance.") (Derived, inter alia, from Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, September 18, 1997, 5)

Improvised Explosive Device (IED)-- An improvised explosive device is normally of local manufacture and is often associated with booby traps. It has all the elements of a mass manufactured mine or booby trap. (ISHMCO, 5)

Landmine -- See Mine.

Landmine-affected Country -- A country in which landmines and/or UXO present a hazard to human life and the health and safety of the population living, working, or traveling in their vicinity.

Lane-- A route through a minefield that provides safe passage. (FM 20-32, Glossary-7)

Mine-- An explosive or other material, normally encased, designed to destroy or damage vehicles, boats, or aircraft, or designed to wound, kill, or otherwise incapacitate personnel. It may be detonated by the action of its target, the passage of time, or by controlled means. (NATO definition) (ISHMCO, 6)

Mine Action Center (MAC)-- MAC usually refers to a facility containing personnel who coordinate and assist the national mine action activities in a country. (ISHMCO, 6)

Mine Awareness-- A method of informing, teaching, and relaying messages about landmines to the public, normally through a mine awareness program. Mine awareness encompasses mine risk education, mine awareness training (MAT) for peacekeepers, multimedia presentation, and what action to take when a mine or UXO is found. It is intended to modify behavior patterns to reduce casualties. A result of mine awareness is the flow of information back to a MAC about mine and ordnance locations. (ISHMCO, 6)

Minefield-- In land warfare, an area of ground containing mines laid with or without a pattern. (NATO definition) (ISHMCO, 7)

Minefield Survey-- A detailed report that provides information on a suspected minefield, including its location, the extent of the mine problem identified, and the way the area is marked. (TC 31-34, Glossary-6)

Neutralization-- The act of replacing safety devices, such as pins or rods, into an explosive item to prevent the fuse or igniter from functioning. It does not make the item completely safe, since removal of the pins or rods will immediately make the item active again. It should not be confused with disarming. (ISHMCO, 7)

Organization -- Any governmental or non-governmental organization, agency, academic institution, commercial company, donor, or other organized entity associated with the global landmine problem, demining, or a related field of endeavor.

Reduce-- The creation of a lane through, over, or around a minefield. Refers to destroying, neutralizing, removing, or bypassing mines. (FM 20-32, 8-1, Glossary-11)

Survivor Assistance -- See Victim Assistance

Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)-- Explosive ordnance which has been primed, fused, armed or otherwise prepared for use or used. It could have been fired, dropped, launched or projected, yet remains unexploded either through malfunction or design or for any other cause. (ISHMCO, 10)

Victim Assistance-- Any activity associated with restoring the victims (survivors) of landmines to a productive life and livelihood, such as return/resettlement of refugees, medical rehabilitation of individuals, and training or retraining in civilian pursuits made necessary because of the effects of landmines.

Section 2: Abbreviations

 

AMAA	Afghan Mine Awareness Agency
ATC	Afghan Technical Consultants
BHCD	Bosnia-Herzegovina Commission for Demining
BPA	Berm Processing Assembly
BRAVA	Blast Resuscitation and Victim Assistance
CARERE	Cambodian Resettlement and Reintegration Program
CIA	(U.S.) Central Intelligence Agency
CIDEV	Conseillers International du Developement
CIET	Community Information and Epidemiological Technologies
CMAC	Cambodia Mine Action Center
CMAO	Central Mine Action Office (Angola)
CMATS	Central Mine Action Training School (Angola)
CMTC	Central Mine Training Center (Mozambique)
CND	National Demining Commission (Mozambique)
CRC	Committee on the Rights of the Child
DAFA	Demining Agency for Afghanistan
DARPA	(U.S.) Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
DDA	(UN) Department for Disarmament Affairs
DoD	(U.S.) Department of Defense
DPKO	(UN) Department of Peacekeeping Operations
DSS	Demining Support System
EC	European Commission
EOD	Explosive Ordnance Disposal
EU	European Union
FAA	Angolan Armed Forces
GDP	Gross Domestic Product
GIS	Geographic Information System
GPR	Ground-penetrating Radar
GPS	Global Positioning System
HALO	Hazardous Area Life-Support Organization (as in The HALO Trust)
HDIC	Humanitarian Demining Information Center (James Madison University)
HI	Handicap International
IADB	Inter-American Defense Board
ICRC	International Committee of the Red Cross
IDP	Internally Displaced Person
IED	Improvised Explosive Device
IFOR	Implementation Force (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
INAROE	National Institute for Removal of Explosive Obstacles (Angola)
IR	Infrared
IRC	International Rescue Committee
LMIS	Land Mines Information System (Joint Research Centre of the European Commission)
LSN	Landmine Survivors Network
MAC	Mine Action Center
MAG	Mines Advisory Group
MAPA	Mine Action Program for Afghanistan
MASG	Mine Action Support Group
MAT	Mine Awareness Training
MCPA	Mine Clearance Planning Agency (Afghanistan)
MDC	Mine Detection Dog Center (Afghanistan)
MDG	Mine Dog Group (Afghanistan)
MGM	Menschen gegen Minen
MIB	Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (Namibia)
MOD	Ministry of Defense
MONUA	Mission of UN Observers, Angola
MSF	Medecins sans Frontieres
MVF	Mine Victims Fund
NADR	Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining, and Related
NDF	Namibia Defense Force
NGIC	(U.S. Army) National Ground Intelligence Center
NGO	Non-governmental Organization
NMR	Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
NPA	Norwegian Peoples Aid
NQR	Nuclear Quadrapole Resonance
OAS	Organization of American States
OCHA	(UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
OHR	Office of the High Representative
OLS	(UN) Operation Lifeline Sudan
OMAR	Organization for Mine Clearance and Rehabilitation (Afghanistan)
ONUMOZ	UN Operation in Mozambique
OSCE	Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
PLAN	People's Liberation Army of Namibia
POWER	Prosthetics and Orthotics Worldwide Education and Relief
PRO	Protracted Relief Operation
PTSD	Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
RCAF	Royal Cambodian Armed Forces
R&D	Research and Development
RUDEVEO	Rural Development and Voluntary Organization
SADF	South African Defense Forces
SFOR	Stabilization Force (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
S/GHD	Secretary, Global Humanitarian Demining (U.S. Department of State)
SOP	Standing Operating Procedure
SORS	Standards for End-User Requirements
SPLA	Sudanese People's Liberation Army
SWATF	Southwest African Territorial Forces
SWEDEC	Swedish Demining Center
TNA	Thermal Neutron Activation
UN	United Nations
UNA	United Nations Associations
UN/ADP	UN Accelerated Demining Program
UNAVEM	UN Angolan Verification Mission
UNDHA	UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs
UNDP	UN Development Program
UNDPA	UN Demining Program-- Angola
UNHCR	UN High Commissioner for Refugees
UNICEF	UN Children's Fund
UNITA	National Union for the Liberation of Angola
UNLDB	UN Landmine Database
UNMAS	UN Mine Action Service
UNMCP	UN Mine Clearance Program (Afghanistan)
UNOCHA	UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan
UNOHAC	UN Office of Humanitarian Assistance Coordination
UNOPS	UN Office for Project Services
UNOSOM	UN Operation in Somalia
U.S.	United States
USAID	U. S. Agency for International Development
UXO	Unexploded Ordnance
VTF	Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Clearance
VVAF	Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation
WFP	World Food Programme
WHO	World Health Organization

[End of Document]

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