On Wednesday 29 May, in Rajlovac, a briefing was given by EUFOR Special Ammunition and Weapons Advisors (SAWAD) to a NATO delegation in order to summarise the progress made by the BiH Ministry of Defence (MoD), and the AFBiH, in weapons marking, registration and management
EUFOR and HALO Trust representatives
BiH MoD are reducing their stockpiles of weapons and ammunition through a transparent process of disposal and are rapidly moving towards a sustainable ammunition and weapons life-cycle management system, this is being supported by a range of organisations, including the HALO Trust and EUFOR.
The Programme Manager for the HALO Trust, Mr. Alexander Maier, said:
"Very good progress has been made since November 18 when Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) started being marked and registered. So far over 12,000 pieces have been registered and we are on track to complete the process by 2020."
The BiH authorities currently hold over 62,000 SALW consisting of over 300 different types of weapons, the aim is to rationalise the holdings and reduce the number down to 22,500 registered weapons, which will be stored in safe and secure conditions.
Maj Alberto Prince (EUFOR ASAWAD) inspecting correctly marked and registered weapons
Major Alberto Prince, a EUFOR representative, said:
"The marking and registration of these small arms and light weapons is a part of the second stage of a 3-phase plan which started with the disposal of excess stocks of old ammunition, approximately 1200 weapons are being marked and registered every month in Rajlovac."
When the excess weapons have been destroyed, donated, or sold, the reduced stockpile will mean lower maintenance costs and ensure maximum traceability of these weapons from a non-proliferation perspective; this project is a major confidence-building measure in terms of EUFOR's primary aim to support and maintain a safe and secure environment in BiH.
