Trump ends US military ban on using landmines

The new policy will rollback a 2014 Obama directive to halt landmine use outside of the DMZ

President Donald Trump is expected to allow the US military to once again use landmines in conflict zones across the world.

An internal US State Department cable suggests that President Donald Trump will roll back President Barack Obama’s 2014 policy that ended the production of anti-personnel landmines.

“The United States will not sacrifice American service members’ safety, particularly when technologically advanced safeguards are available that can allow landmines to be employed responsibly to ensure our military’s war-fighting advantage, while also limiting the risk of unintended harm to civilians,” the cable reads.

The Obama-era policy adhered to the 1997 Ottawa Convention, an international agreement banning the use, production and stockpiling or transfer of anti-personnel mines.

Since the implementation of Mr Obama’s policy, the US has only been authorised to use anti-personnel mines in defence of South Korea.

The change in policy is expected to be implemented in the next few days and was prompted by a Pentagon review launched in 2017 by then-Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis.

The review found that landmine prohibitions “increased risk to mission success” and increased the chance of US casualties. It states than any landmines used moving forward must also include a 30-day self-destruct or self-deactivation mechanism.

Many landmine deaths occur when non-combatants stumble upon long-abandoned munitions buried in former warzones. A timed self-deactivation would help prevent those deaths.

Despite the safety measure, the international community largely opposes the use of landmines. The Mine Ban Treaty – established during the 1997 Ottawa Convention – was signed by 164 nations, though the US declined to sign.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) characterises landmine injuries as “particularly horrific” and are considered “among the worst injuries” by war surgeons. For those who do survive an encounter with a mine, they’re likely to spend the rest of their lives dealing with the injury.

“The victim who survives an anti-personnel mine blast typically requires amputation, multiple operations and prolonged physical rehabilitation. Mine survivors commonly suffer permanent disability – with serious social, psychological and economic implications,” the ICRC wrote in a 2009 FAQ.

According to the ICRC, the most likely victims of an anti-personnel mine will be civilians attempting to carry on their daily business.

“The groups most at risk from anti-personnel mines are typically men and boys involved in livelihood activities, such as farming, herding and the collection of firewood and water. In many affected communities, people have no choice but to enter areas that may be dangerous due to economic need,” the ICRC statement read.

Rob Berchinski, the White House National Security Council director who coordinated landmine policy during the Obama Administration, took to Twitter onThursday to refute the idea that anti-personnel mines were especially useful military tools.

“The main point is that they’re not only massively harmful to civilians after wars end, but they’re also of very negligible military utility,” He wrote. “Farmers and kids with legs blown off long after the war ends? Yep. A particularly useful tool for our service members? Nope.”

Mr Berschinski went on to say the “DoD acknowledged that these weapons serve no good purpose on modern battlefield. In fact, DoD-commissioned studies have shown that during the Gulf War they mainly served to limit US ground forces’ maneuver capability.”