UXO/Demining Caucus celebrates Mine Awareness Day 2026

On April 16th the bipartisan, Congressional UXO/Demining Caucus hosted a reception and exhibition in celebration of International Mine Awareness Day, which was formally April 4th.

The event gathered leading demining groups and members of the demining community, Members of Congress and their staff, the broader NGO and policy community, and representatives from the State Department and Department of War’s humanitarian demining programs to celebrate and recognize the United States’ historical commitment to Conventional Weapons Destruction. With strong bipartisan support, the United States continues to lead the world in clearing landmines, removing other unexploded ordnance, and securing dangerous weapons, to save lives and strengthen security around the globe. In 2025, U.S.-funded demining programs were present in about 40 countries around the world.

Attendees heard from distinguished Congressional and Administration speakers, including UXO/Demining Caucus Co-Chair Representative David Valadao and Representative Brian Mast, Caucus member and Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Attendees also heard from Sean Burke, Program Manager of the Army’s Strategic and Low Intensity Conflict Demining (SLIC-Demining) program and Stanley Brown, Senior Bureau Official of the Department of State’s Political-Military Affairs Bureau, which oversees conventional weapons destruction efforts.

The event also featured a live demonstration of a demining rat, trained by APOPO and now living out retirement at the Maryland Zoo, as well as a retired K9 demining dog trained by the Marshall Legacy Institute. Also exhibiting were NGO partners including The HALO Trust, the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), PeaceTrees Vietnam, the Golden West Humanitarian Foundation, Legacies of War, Humanity & Inclusion, and JMU’s Center for International Stability and Recovery (CISR). The U.S. Army’s SLIC-Demining program (formerly Humanitarian Demining Research & Development), which develops new and specialized equipment for military and humanitarian demining, also displayed some of their cutting-edge equipment.

The HALO Trust would like to thank the UXO/Demining Caucus, the State Department, the Department of War, all exhibitors, and everyone who attended for making the evening a success.

Watch a video of the speakers and demonstrations, and scroll through photos from the event, below.