Historic funding for humanitarian demining programs

On February 3rd, Congress passed the Fiscal Year 2026 State Department and War Department budgets, delivering significant gains for humanitarian landmine and unexploded ordnance disposal programs worldwide. The enacted State Department budget includes $265 million, an increase of $7 million from last year, for the Conventional Weapons Destruction account, which funds programs managed by the State Department’s Political-Military Bureau, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA).

Of this funding, $77 million is designated for programs in Southeast Asia, continuing long-standing efforts to address the legacy of conflict in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Also, $7.5 million will address unexploded ordnance contamination in the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Kiribati, given continued harm to civilians caused by lingering WWII ordnance. In addition, Congress also directed the State Department to support demining activities in Angola, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe.

The Defense budget also includes $36.349 million for the Army Strategies for Low-Intensity Conflict Demining (SLICD) program (formerly the Army Humanitarian Demining Research and Development program), representing a $13.1 million increase from Fiscal Year 2025. This funding will strengthen the Army’s efforts to advance demining technologies, improving safety and effectiveness for clearance operations for humanitarian and military deminers worldwide. 

Together, these investments underscore continued bipartisan Congressional support for humanitarian demining as critical tools for saving lives and supporting U.S. foreign policy.