GAO on UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE R & D

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org>]

GAO ON UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE

The U.S. government currently devotes substantial resources to the 
development of technologies for the detection, removal, and destruction 
of unexploded munitions, including landmines, but that effort is not 
well coordinated. 

Traditionally, such activity within the Defense Department has focused 
on methods of breaching minefields during combat, rather than wide area 
clearance. Today, however, large munitions impact areas at closing and 
former bases within the U.S. would be available for civilian use if the 
unexploded ordnance could be cleared in a cost-effective manner. 
Abroad, huge mine-covered areas are injuring about 30,000 people each 
year. Addressing such problems require more reliable technologies 
capable of covering large areas at a lower cost.

The General Accounting Office has identified more than 20 different 
Federal organizations, civilian as well as military, that currently 
conduct from $75 to $150 million each year on research and development 
relevant to the detection and clearance of landmines and other 
unexploded ordnance. But those efforts are uncoordinated, and there is 
no national strategic plan for furthering such technology. The House 
National Security Committee has directed the Secretary of Defense "to 
submit a plan that defines research and development priorities, program 
management, and cooperative activity with international programs."

In response to House Committee and GAO, the Defense Department has 
agreed to identify an executive agent to serve as the clearinghouse for 
landmine and UXO research and development.

Like other GAO documents, the report, "Unexploded Ordnance: A 
Coordinated Approach to Detection and Clearance Is Needed" (September, 
1995), may be obtained free of charge from GAO by phone at 202/512-6000 
or fax at 301/258-4066. The report number is GAO/NSIAD-95-197.