Rogers, McCaul, Inhofe, Risch Express Concerns With U.S. Anti-personnel Landmine Policy

Press Release

U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, expressing concerns with the recent announcement regarding changes to the United States Anti-Personnel Landmine policy.

The members wrote: "We are writing to you today to express our concerns regarding the June 21 announcement regarding changes to the United States Anti-Personnel Landmine policy."

The members continued: "Specifically, we are concerned that the review process described by the administration failed to adequately account for the likely negative impacts to U.S. military operational effectiveness; used overly-optimistic assumptions in evaluating the projected costs and timeline estimates associated with the destruction and replacement of existing Department of Defense equipment inventories; and ultimately sought to implement the provisions of the Ottawa Convention, a treaty to which the United States Senate has not provided advice and consent."