Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC September 29, 2008
U.S. Department of State Quick Reaction Force The Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs has awarded a contract to DynCorp International for the formation of a humanitarian Quick Reaction Force (QRF) to respond globally to urgent and emergent humanitarian operations that require the removal or mitigation of explosive hazards to protect civilian populations.
The formation of this new QRF reflects the continued U.S. commitment to post-conflict or post catastrophic explosive weapons clearance and destruction programs. It will deal with all explosive remnants of war, whether they are surplus, abandoned, hazardous, or residual conventional weapons, rather than one specific type of weapon or munitions. This includes small arms and light weapons (SA/LW), unexploded ordnance, cluster munitions, landmines, man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), and other types of conventional weapons. The QRF will have a stand-alone capability and if the situation warrants will complement and multiply ongoing efforts on the ground. It will work in concert with foreign governments and U.S. Embassies around the world and should be available for deployment within the next several weeks.
This new QRF is an enhanced version of the earlier Department of State Quick Reaction Demining Force (QRDF) created in 2000 that focused exclusively on humanitarian mine action and conducted successful operations in Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Iraq.
The Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement manages humanitarian mine action programs (clearance of landmines and explosive remnants of war, survivors assistance, mine risk education), and conventional weapons destruction programs worldwide. To learn more visit www.state.gov/t/pm/wra.
2008/811
Released on September 29, 2008
|