The Lethality Index: Re-Conceptualizing IED Clearance Planning and Delivery in Iraq

Authors

Mark Wilkinson, United Nations Mine Action ServiceFollow

Abstract

Explosive hazard clearance (EH) comes at a cost and, logically, with accountability expected as a quid pro quo both for those conducting and those funding clearance activities.[i] Today’s accountability problem arguably begins with the recognition that EH clearance, particularly in complex environments contaminated with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), differs radically from conventional mine action operations of the past, introducing various new factors that influence costs and cost-effectiveness. This, in turn, begs two questions: “What factors?” and “How are they measured?” Hence, before the mine action community can evaluate cost-effectiveness leading to accountability, it must first re-conceptualize clearance itself based on well-documented, current clearance operations such as derived from the UNMAS experience in Iraq.

Recommended Citation

Wilkinson, Mark (2020) "The Lethality Index: Re-Conceptualizing IED Clearance Planning and Delivery in Iraq," The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction: Vol. 24 : Iss. 1 , Article 9.
Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol24/iss1/9