US Campaign to Ban Landmines E-mail Newsletter
April 7, 2000
In this issue. . .
I. Action
Alert on RADAM
II. Spotlight
on Exeter, New Hampshire
III. Call
for Papers on landmines
The Pentagon wants to spend $150 million on a new mine system that is illegal under the Mine Ban Treaty and that would have to be destroyed after 2006 under existing U.S. policy.
Make your voice heard! Contact the following Appropriations Defense Subcommittee Members and tell them that funding for RADAM needs to be stopped (your call or letter can be as simple as that):
Senate Chair
522 Hart Senate Office
Building
722 Hart Senate Office
Building
Washington, DC 20510
Senator_stevens@stevens.senate.gov
202-224-3934
Senate Ranking Democrat
Senator Daniel Inouye
(D-HI)
722 Hart Senate Office
Building
Washington, DC 20510
House Chair
Representative Jerry
Lewis (R-CA)
2112 Rayburn House Office
Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-225-5861
House Ranking Democrat
Representative John Murtha
(D-PA)
2433 Rayburn House Office
Building
Washington, DC 20510
Washington, DC 20510
murtha@mail.house.gov
202-225-2065
Background Information
on RADAM
(thanks to Steve Goose,
Mark Hisnay, and Mary Wareham of Human Rights Watch)
The Pentagon is asking for $47.7 million this year for the development of a new landmine system, called RADAM, which will violate the Mine Ban Treaty despite the fact that the U.S. has said it will join in 2006. The Pentagon asked for a similar amount last year, but Congress cut it back to $8 million. This is the year RADAM must be stopped altogether, because a decision on whether to go forward with full production will occur between October and December 2000.
RADAM stands for Remote Area Denial Artillery Munition. It will combine existing ADAM antipersonnel mines with existing RAAM antitank into a single projectile, creating a new "mixed mine system." Plans call for spending a total of $150 million to develop and produce 337,000 RADAM. Because it will contain antipersonnel mines that are prohibited under the Mine Ban Treaty, the entire RADAM system will also be prohibited.
Under current policy, U.S. forces will no longer be permitted to use ADAM after 2003. So the Pentagon's proposed "alternative" to using ADAM is to put them into a new mixed system, which under current policy can be used until 2006. But, the U.S. has said that it wants to ban all antipersonnel mines, including those in mixed systems, in 2006.
RADAM is a wasteful stopgap program. U.S. forces would not begin fielding RADAM until 2002, and then would have to stop using them in 2006, if the U.S. joins the Mine Ban Treaty by its target date. The U.S. would then have to spend additional funds to destroy the RADAM system to be compliant with the treaty. RADAM will also have the undesired effect of taking away existing treaty-compliant antitank mines, the RAAM.
Pursuit of RADAM calls into question the sincerity of the U.S. effort to completely eliminate use of antipersonnel mines by 2006 -- which is already many years too late.
II. Spotlight on Exeter New Hampshire
Joanne Cartier of Exeter New Hampshire had read about the international landmine crisis in the newspaper. She recently contacted Gina Coplon-Newfield, the Associate Coordinator of the USCBL based at Physicians for Human Rights and literally asked "What can I do?"
Though there are dozens of ways that people can work to stop the scourge of landmines on the earth and even dozens of ways to encourage the U.S. government to join the Mine Ban Treaty, certain activities are more appropriate than others for each person given his/her strengths, interests, and associations. In Joanne’s case, she is active in her church. Gina encouraged her to write an article about landmines in her church newsletter with a piece at the end that encourages people to write letters to President Clinton. Gina explained to Joanne how she could do a minefield simulation at a church gathering and follow it up by asking people to sign petitions about the Mine Ban Treaty. Finally, Gina suggested that Joanne encourage her church to pass a resolution in favor of the Mine Ban Treaty and to send copies to the President and members of Congress. Joanne, new to the issue and new to activism, was not quite ready for the resolution. Gina will work with Joanne to help her feel more comfortable in her new role as an activist.
Are you new to activism? Do you need advice on how to start a landmines group or how to execute a campaign activity in the most strategic way? Feel free to contact Gina Coplon-Newfield at banmines@phrusa.org or 617-695-0041x228.
The latest issue of the Journal of Mine Action is now up on the web at http://www.hdic.jmu.edu and focuses on Landmines in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. If you have written or are writing papers on the issue of landmines, there is a call for papers for future issues on the following themes:
Deminers, Manual Demining
& Their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Version
4.2 <EN DASH> Publication June 2000
Deadline for Submission:
May 25, 2000
Mine Awareness and Community
Risk Reduction
Version
4.3 <EN DASH> Publication October 2000
Deadline for Submission:
August 25, 2000
Submission Guidelines
at:
http://www.hdic.jmu.edu/hdic/journal/4.1/call.htm#submission
For more information,
contact Joe Lockey at James Madison University at <lokeyfj@jmu.edu>