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Topic: Land Warfare Blog Brand: The Buzz Region: Americas Tags: Department of Defense (DoD), Landmines, North America, Ottawa Convention, Pete Hegseth, and United States The Pentagon Just Reversed Its Landmine Policy—Again December 24, 2025 By: Peter Suciu
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The United States is not a signatory to the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the manufacture or use of landmines in combat. Neither are Russia or China.
According to a report from The Washington Post on Saturday, the Trump administration is reversing course on a Biden-era policy that “prohibited the use of antipersonnel land mines except on the Korean Peninsula.” The paper of record cited Pentagon documents, including a “previously unreported memo” that was signed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on December 2.
It should be noted that the United States is not a signatory to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, or the Ottawa Convention, which has prohibited the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines (APLs). As noted by the Arms Control Association (ACA), 164 countries had “ratified or acceded to the treaty”—but the non-signatories included most major military powers like China, India, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States.
In 2022, the Biden administration reverted to an Obama-era landmine policy, after President Donald Trump allowed for broader use of anti-personnel landmines during his first term in the White House. Yet, shortly before leaving office nearly a year ago, President Joe Biden authorized the transfer of APLs to Kyiv. That decision was made to counter Russia’s use of the ordnance in the ongoing conflict. As a result, Ukraine has become one of the most heavily mined nations on Earth.
Hegseth Establishes New Landmine Criteria
Hegseth has once again directed a reversal, which he stated would provide US warfighters with a “force multiplier,” a necessity as he also stated the US military is in “one of the most dangerous security environments in its history.”
The defense secretary outlined five objectives in the new landmine policy, which included “lifting geographic limits on the use of land mines” and allowing for APLs to be used around the globe, with combatant commands given the authority to deploy them as they see necessary. Hegseth further called for placing limits on the destruction of US landmine stockpiles. The previous policies had called for the destruction of APLs that weren’t necessary for the defense of South Korea along the DMZ with North Korea.
An interim policy had called for the use of “remotely delivered” APLs that were equipped with self-destruct features that would allow their destruction after a conflict had ended, but some critics of the ordnance had warned that these may “have high rates of failures.”
The new policy calls for steps to be taken to limit civilian harm, but has been seen in Ukraine, Laos, and other countries where APLs have been used; the problem remains long after a conflict is ended.
“More U.S. soldiers and innocent civilians will be needlessly killed and maimed,” former Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) wrote in a statement to The Washington Post.
Leahy had authored past US policy that banned APLs, and took part in the 1997 treaty negotiations, even as the US wasn’t a signatory. He warned that reinstating it will only invite other state actors to lay mines.
“Anyone who has seen what landmines do to innocent civilians knows that these inherently indiscriminate weapons do not belong in the arsenal of civilized nations,” Leahy added.
Other NATO Members Are Reversing Course, Too
The United States won’t be the only NATO member that could soon be deploying APLs and other landmines again. In March of this year, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland announced that each would restart production of APLs after considering withdrawing from the convention. The four nations that border Russia and/or its ally Belarus argued that their decision would send a strong message to Moscow—and given that Russia and Belarus continue to use landmines, argued that the decision was a sensible one.
“We currently have no plans to develop, stockpile, or use previously banned anti-personnel landmines,” Estonian Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur said in a statement earlier this year. “In acquiring military capabilities, we will continue to be guided by the needs and requests of the Estonian Defence Forces.”
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
The post The Pentagon Just Reversed Its Landmine Policy—Again appeared first on The National Interest.
Источник: nationalinterest.org