[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 104 (Tuesday, August 1, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8540-S8541]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LEAHY (for himself, Mr. Specter, Mr. Dorgan, and Mr. 
        Harkin):
  S. 3768. A bill to prohibit the procurement of victim-activated 
landmines and other weapons that are designed to be victim-activated; 
to the Committee on Armed Services.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, today I join Senator Leahy in introducing 
the Victim-Activated Landmine Abolition Act of 2006, which will 
prohibit the procurement of victim-activated landmines. Antipersonnel, 
victim-activated landmines are small, inexpensive weapons that kill or 
maim people upon contact. Indiscriminate use has produced many civilian 
casualties and has resulted in an international effort to control or 
ban these weapons.
  As a member of both the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and 
Foreign Operations, I have supported efforts to create alternatives to 
victim-activated munitions, to mitigate the associated risks for 
innocent civilians, and to help those who have been inadvertently 
harmed. The United States sets an example for the world by remaining a 
global leader in providing funds for mine clearance, mine risk 
education, and mine survivor assistance activities. According to the 
Congressional Research Service, the United States has dedicated an 
estimated $500 million for demining efforts over the last 10 years. 
Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Defense, in conjunction with 
industry partners, has developed technology which permits the 
deployment of mines that cannot be activated by the victim. This ``man-
in-the-loop'' technology will ensure that innocent civilians are not 
harmed by mines.
  On September 18, 1997, diplomats from almost 90 countries met in 
Oslo, Norway, and adopted the text of the Convention on the Prohibition 
of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel 
Mines and on their Destruction, commonly referred to as the Ottawa 
Convention or the Mine Ban Treaty. The Mine Ban Treaty went into effect 
on March 1, 1999, and mandates that countries discontinue the 
production, stockpile, use or exportation of antipersonnel landmines. 
It further mandates that countries clear their territory of mines and 
destroy stockpiles. The Mine Ban Treaty is credited with the reduction 
in victims and procurement of mines.
  Although the U.S. has declined to participate in the treaty, the U.S. 
continues to lead the world in dollars spent on aid and efforts to help 
foreign nations demine fields and dispose of thousands of antipersonnel 
landmines, which is a costly and dangerous undertaking. The U.S. has 
not used antipersonnel mines since the 1991 Persian Gulf war. Since 
1992, the U.S. has prohibited exportation of antipersonnel mines and 
U.S. production was halted in 1997.
  A review of the facts surrounding landmines and the tragic 
consequences that have resulted from their use has convinced me that 
the indiscriminate use of these weapons must be stopped. The 
International Campaign to Ban Landmines estimates that there are more 
than 80 million landmines in the ground in more than 80 countries and 
that 15,000-20,000 people are maimed or killed by landmines each year. 
UNICEF estimates that 30 to 40 percent of mine victims are children 
under 15 years old. Millions more suffer from the economic and 
psychological impact of these weapons.
  Innocent civilians in foreign countries are not the only victims that 
suffer the debilitating effects of these weapons. Landmines have 
injured and killed thousands of U.S. and allied troops in every U.S.-
fought conflict since World War II, including those in Iraq and 
Afghanistan. Although landmines cost as little as $3 to produce, they 
can cost as much as $1,000 per mine to clear.
  The legislation introduced today calls on the United States to 
continue to set an example for other countries by implementing a ban on 
the procurement of victim-activated weapons systems. Further, it 
recognizes that the U.S. has acquired reliable technology that enables 
all weapons systems to be equipped with man-in-the-loop targeting and 
triggering capabilities, meaning that the device can be deployed and 
triggered only in response to an intentional action by a person.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am today introducing, with my friend from 
Pennsylvania, Senator Specter, and Senators Dorgan and Harkin, The 
Victim-Activated Landmine Abolition Act of 2006.
  This legislation would prohibit the procurement of victim-activated 
landmines and other weapons that are designed to be victim-activated. 
It builds on a long history of leadership by the Congress on the issue 
of landmines, which indiscriminately kill and maim innocent people, as 
well as U.S. troops, around the world.
  I will have another statement on this subject when we return from the 
August recess, but I want to make a couple of points today.
  First, Senators should know that since 1997 when an international 
treaty banning the manufacture, use, export and stockpiling of 
antipersonnel landmines was initialed at Ottawa, 154 nations have 
signed and 151 have ratified the treaty.
  This is an extraordinary achievement, for which Lloyd Axworthy, 
Canada's Foreign Minister at the time, and the International Campaign 
to Ban Landmines deserve enormous credit. Unfortunately, the United 
States is not a signatory to the treaty and at one time even worked 
against it.
  Thanks to the treaty, the manufacture and export of antipersonnel 
landmines has decreased significantly, and the number of victims has 
also declined. But mines continue to be a weapon of choice, especially 
for rebel groups such as the FARC in Colombia and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
  Second, the United States has not exported antipersonnel mines since 
1992, produced antipersonnel mines since 1997, or used anti personnel 
mines since 1991. This is not a weapon we need.
  Moreover, for the past decade the Department of Defense has been 
developing alternatives to landmines. The goal has been to replace 
mines that cannot distinguish between an enemy combatant and a U.S. 
soldier, an innocent child, a farmer or a refugee.
  That program has produced man-in-the-loop technology that is ready to 
be deployed in a new generation of mines that are not victim-activated.
  I have long supported this program and I commend the Department of 
Defense for its support for the development of this technology. I 
believe it will provide the U.S. military with the force multiplier and 
protection afforded by conventional landmines without impeding the 
mobility of our troops or endangering innocent civilians. It will 
enable the military to finally stop using or stockpiling victim-
activated landmines that have no place in the arsenal of a civilized 
nation, much less the world's only superpower.

  As we see daily in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon, civilians bear the 
brunt of wars today. They do not have body armor or armored vehicles. 
They are routinely caught in the crossfire. At any moment they are at 
risk of being killed or maimed by a landmine or other improvised 
explosive that lies in wait until triggered by whoever steps on it or 
drives over it.
  I want to emphasize that the need for this legislation is not because 
the United States is causing the mine problem. It is not. As I 
mentioned, we have not used or exported antipersonnel mines for 15 
years, despite fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. We are also the 
largest contributor to humanitarian demining in countries that have 
been severely affected by mines, and we support programs to assist mine 
survivors.
  But just as a solution to the Middle East conflict depends on the 
active, sustained engagement and leadership of the United States, so 
does the problem of landmines.
  As was the case with poison gas more than half a century ago, the 
solution to the mine problem is the stigmatization of these 
indiscriminate weapons so the political price of using them serves as a 
deterrent. Will some rebel groups or rogue nations continue to defy the 
international norm? Undoubtedly. But by setting an example and using 
our influence we can reduce their numbers significantly to the benefit 
of our troops and the innocent.
  I again want to thank my friend Senator Specter, who has supported 
legislation to ban landmines for more than a decade.

[[Page S8541]]

  Mr. SPECTER. The `Victim-activated Landmine Abolition Act of 2006', 
which I am joining my friend from Vermont, Senator Leahy, in 
introducing today would end the procurement of these indiscriminate 
weapons by the United States. We neither need these weapons not is it 
in our interest to continue to insist on the right to use them. They 
cannot distinguish between civilians and combatants, and as long as we 
stockpile them we cannot credibly urge others to stop using them 
against our troops. Does my friend from Vermont agree with me that our 
goal in sponsoring this legislation is to reaffirm United States 
leadership on this crucial humanitarian issue and to encourage other 
nations to follow our example?
  Mr. LEAHY. That is correct and I thank the senior Senator from 
Pennsylvania. I have been pleased to have him as a partner over the 
years on legislation to eliminate these inhumane weapons, and I welcome 
the opportunity to do so again today. We want to send a message to the 
world that victim-activated landmines and other weapons designed to be 
victim-activated are beyond the pale. We have seen what they can do to 
our troops. We have seen what they do to a child who picks up one of 
these seemingly harmless objects, only to have it blow off an arm or 
worse. These weapons do not belong in the arsenals of civilized 
nations.
  Mr. SPECTER. I thank my friend, who has led this campaign for so many 
years. Landmines and other munitions that are designed to be victim-
activated are inherently indiscriminate. In that sense, they are no 
different from poison gas. They should be abolished and replaced with 
weapons that have a man-in-the-loop who can distinguish between an 
enemy combatant and a civilian. The Department of Defense has this 
technology. It is time for the United States to adopt a policy that is 
consistent with the force protection needs of our troops and with the 
moral values of the American people.
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