Humanitarian and Disaster Aid · 3 of 4
Most of the humanitarian appropriation buys projects. Two of its programs instead move objects: cleared ground and transferred equipment. Both run under their own statute, and both carry restrictions that decide who may touch what.
Mine action rests on an authority permitting demining and stockpiled conventional munitions assistance where it promotes either the security interests of both countries or the operational readiness skills of the participating forces (10 U.S.C. 407(a)(1)). Excess property rests on a single sentence: "The Secretary of Defense may make available for humanitarian relief purposes any nonlethal excess supplies of the Department of Defense" (10 U.S.C. 2557(a)(1)).
Requirements are normally identified through a site survey, and commands are asked to collaborate with other agencies and organizations to avoid duplicating effort. The statute reinforces that: projects may not duplicate any other form of social or economic assistance provided to the partner by another department or agency (SAMM C12.3.9).
Work is planned country by country and over several years. A multi-year country plan must be maintained for each partner projected to receive this assistance, coordinated with the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (SAMM C12.3.9.1).
Each plan states four things: the current landmine, explosive remnant and stockpile management position; the partner's existing capability and its gaps; the desired end state; and the projected engagements that will reach it (SAMM C12.3.9.1). The end state is described in terms of the partner doing the work itself, for example building the capability to clear hazards safely, or establishing its own demining training program with a professional cadre.
American personnel do not clear the ground. Members of the armed forces providing this assistance may not engage in the physical detection, lifting or destroying of landmines, unexploded ordnance or other explosive remnants of war. The one exception is where a member does so for the concurrent purpose of supporting a military operation (10 U.S.C. 407(a)(3)).
The manual extends the same limit to civilians. Department civilian personnel performing demining, explosive remnant, casualty care training or stockpile management assistance "may not physically contact, move, or destroy the explosive hazards" (SAMM C12.3.9.3).
Stockpile work has a narrow exception of its own. Personnel providing that assistance may not physically contact, move or destroy captured enemy ammunition or explosive remnants in a storage facility. That changes only where the partner has placed the munitions back into the inventory for use as intended by design (SAMM C12.5.6.4).
The consequence is that this is a training and capability program by construction. What is delivered is instruction, equipment and facilities, not clearance.
Deploying personnel are certified beforehand. Units tasked to conduct this training must ensure deploying personnel receive specific qualification from the demining training center before deployment, and certificates are issued to individuals who complete it (SAMM C12.5.6.1).
A site survey may precede execution to verify the project is deliverable with the identified resources (SAMM C12.5.6.2).
Each engagement ends with a written handover. Trainers and partner personnel develop an implementation plan and timeline for the partner to maintain the new capability, the partner retains it, and a copy is uploaded at project closeout. The manual adds a consequence: follow-on training and assistance may depend on the partner's adherence to that plan (SAMM C12.5.6.5).
Equipment used for the training can stay. It may be transferred to the partner's designated agent on completion of the event, under a letter of transfer specifying what is retained, furnished to the embassy for processing (SAMM C12.3.9.8.3).
Public education materials are permitted, and the rules on them are unusually specific. Funds may buy inexpensive items for distribution to the civilian population to promote mine safety, and "The item cost must be of nominal value (i.e., $5.00 or less)" (SAMM C12.3.9.8.2).
Content is prescribed too. The item must carry a useful mine awareness purpose, such as a safety message and a means to report a discovered hazard, and it "cannot merely depict a partner's EOD unit's badge or other military designation" (SAMM C12.3.9.8.2). Promoting the image of a partner's demining unit is stated not to be an appropriate use of the funds.
Donations of excess property can be a project on their own or can accompany another one. The agency maintains warehouses and draws on them to fill proposals, and it pays for transport from funds it holds centrally, so a command's cost estimate for such a project is zero (SAMM C12.3.8).
The property arrives by an ordinary disposal route. Components turn over excess or unneeded property to disposition services for screening, and authorized non-lethal items are then taken onto the warehouse records and made available for transfer. Typical items include furniture, medical and school equipment, bedding, shelter materials, vehicles such as fire trucks and ambulances, tools and construction equipment (SAMM C12.3.8.1).
Sourcing has a stated patience limit. Where a suitable match for all requested items is not found within 12 months, the command must choose between a partial shipment, revalidating the requirement, or cancelling the project (SAMM C12.5.5.1).
When items are found, the warehouse offers a picklist. The embassy office or project manager reviews it, consults partner authorities and accepts it in the project system, and "SCOs or project managers must accept the picklist within 30 days of offer, or DSCA may cancel the project" (SAMM C12.5.5.2).
One mechanism avoids moving goods twice. A wash post allows the warehouse to take accountability for items where they were declared excess, such as an overseas disposition office, without physically transporting them to the warehouse first (SAMM C12.5.5.3).
It is used where the items are already in the region concerned. The warehouse then issues an authorization letter allowing a government representative to withdraw the property, generates the release documents, and coordinates shipment directly from where the property sits (SAMM C12.5.5.3). How that cargo then moves is covered in moving donated supplies and responding to a disaster.
| HMA | Humanitarian mine action, run under 10 U.S.C. 407. |
|---|---|
| ERW | Explosive remnants of war, which American personnel may not physically handle under this authority. |
| PSSM | Physical security and stockpile management, the munitions storage side of the program. |
| EP | Excess property, non-lethal surplus made available under 10 U.S.C. 2557. |
| Wash post | Taking accountability for excess items where they stand, rather than moving them to a warehouse first. SAMM C12.5.5.3. |
Every statement above links to the document behind it. The full source list for this piece is on the sources page.
This page describes public United States government programs for general information. It is not legal, regulatory or procurement advice, and it does not address the facts of any particular case.
Mine action and property transfers put people and equipment into places where movement is the hard part. Sentfore provides secure transport, protective security and site support in those environments, and its principals have worked on overseas defense and security programs. Requirements can be sent through the contact page.