All ammunition has a shelf life and if not destroyed in a timely manner can degrade over time to the point at which it can spontaneously explode.
HALO works with military and government officials to identify and destroy stocks of unsafe ammunition safely and efficiently. HALO began this process in Afghanistan in 2003 after significant quantities of ammunition had either been captured from the Taliban, or surrendered by Commanders who had joined the new Afghan government. Over the course of four years, HALO’s WAD teams destroyed more than 5.5 million items of ordnance and developed techniques and equipment for the handling and transportation of bulk ammunition.
HALO has also worked in support of the military in Angola and Cambodia. Both of these countries have suffered serious ammunition storage accidents prior to HALO’s assistance.
HALO has now destroyed more than 6.5million explosive items (16,500 tonnes of ordnance) ranging from canon rounds to guided missiles. HALO WAD teams have also destroyed more than 530,000 AP mines and 100,000 Cluster-bomb sub-munitions.