On September 27, Major General Lee Tafanelli of the Kansas National Guard and Deputy Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan observed 22 Armenian military and civilian members of the Armenian Center for Humanitarian Demining and Expertise, who are participating in a U.S.-funded Demining Training Program.

This program, funded by the U.S. Embassy’s Office of Defense Cooperation and the U.S. European Command, provides training and equipment to Armenia’s Demining Center in Etchmiadzin.

The demining training runs from September 17-28 and focuses on proper mine marking and clearance techniques. In addition, the U.S. Government provided 20 mine detectors, protective equipment, and demining toolsets to Armenia’s newly established Center for Humanitarian Demining and Expertise. Members of the Kansas National Guard and one civilian member of the U.S. Humanitarian Demining and Training Center are conducting the training.