Former US ambassadors urge continued demining efforts in Southeast Asia

"We are writing to urge you to end the 90-day stop work order for U.S. foreign assistance programming that suspends U.S.-funded mine clearance programs," reads the letter issued last week by 17 former ambassadors, including five serving in Vietnam between 2001 and 2014 - Ted Osius, Pete Peterson, Michael Michalak, David Shear, and Raymond Burghardt.

"A waiver or quick and affirmative review for these programs, which includes global demining operations, victim assistance, and explosive ordnance risk education, is urgently needed to allow demining professionals to get back to their vital life-saving work," it says.

The letter came as U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20, shorting after taking offiece, to suspend most foreign aid for 90 days, except for emergency food assistance and military aid to Israel and Egypt.

A week later, Secretary Rubio issued a memo to U.S. diplomatic and consular posts worldwide, pausing all new funding obligations for U.S. foreign assistance programs under the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) pending a review.

Rubio's directive, obtained by CBS News, stated that the U.S. government lacks a centralized system to assess whether foreign aid programs are effective, unduplicated, and aligned with President Trump’s foreign policy goals. The memo emphasized the need for a "centralized repository" to consolidate detailed information for review, with further guidance to be issued.

Trump and his administration have argued that U.S. assistance, including humanitarian aid, must align with his "America First" policy.

The president tasked billionaire Elon Musk with downsizing USAID, an agency Musk has publicly accused of corruption without providing evidence.

Since the Jan. 20 aid freeze, stop-work orders have disrupted USAID-funded projects worldwide, leading to hundreds of contractor layoffs, according to Reuters.

Concerns over war legacy programs

In their joint letter, the former ambassadors acknowledged the importance of reviewing foreign assistance programs but warned that a 90-day suspension could severely disrupt or even eliminate war legacy remediation efforts.

"Clearance of mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) is in the best interest of our country. Clearing land of UXO allows the U.S. to provide a highly visible demonstration of American support to Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, countries in a region of immense strategic importance to the United States," they wrote.

The letter, published by the New York-based Legacies of War organization, argued that demining efforts not only protect lives but also bring economic benefits by restoring contaminated land for agriculture and infrastructure development. This, in turn, strengthens local economies and reduces reliance on U.S. aid.

Additionally, the ambassadors emphasized that mine clearance enhances U.S. national security by preventing explosive materials from falling into the hands of "potential bad actors" who could repurpose them for violence or instability. Unexploded ordnance (UXO) also poses a direct threat to U.S. personnel, contractors, and aid workers in the region.

Secretary Rubio has not yet commented on the letter.

In a phone call with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son on Jan. 25, Rubio reaffirmed that the U.S.-Vietnam relationship is a model of international cooperation, with shared interests forming the foundation for future diplomatic and economic ties.

In 2023, U.S. war legacy remediation programs cleared more than 19,000 hectares of land worldwide and provided medical assistance to over 71,000 mine victims.

Vietnam remains one of the most heavily contaminated countries due to unexploded ordnance left from the war.

The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs estimates that as of 2023, Vietnam still has approximately 800,000 tons of leftover bombs and ammunition, with 5.59 million hectares or 17.7% of the country's total land area contaminated.

Since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, unexploded ordnance has caused over 40,000 deaths and injured 60,000 people, according to the Vietnam National Mine Action Center (VNMAC).

Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Bonnie Jenkins stated in 2022 during her visit to Vietnam that since 1993, the U.S. has provided approximately US$200 million for conventional weapons destruction programs in Vietnam. These efforts focus on landmine and unexploded ordnance clearance, explosive hazard education, victim assistance, and capacity building to strengthen national demining efforts.

U.S. support is implemented through projects that offer technical advisory services, information management assistance for the VNMAC, and funding for non-governmental organizations such as PeaceTrees Vietnam.

Additionally, the assistance includes equipment transfers and personnel training to enhance Vietnam's mine clearance capabilities.