Incremental Steps towards the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATGs)

Abstract

The IATGs set out a series of comprehensive guidelines that help to reduce the potential for UEMS and also increase the security of ammunition. However, it is recognized that the implementation of all of these measures can be expensive and impractical, particularly in conditions of scarce resources. To that end, the IATGs describe three ‘Risk Reduction Process Levels’ (RRPL), where RRPL 1 represents minimal additional investment, and where RRPL 3 represents full IATG compliance and international ‘best practice.’ As all of the different measures contained within the different Risk Reduction Process Levels cannot be outlined in full here, this OGN focuses on certain Level One and Level Two measures that are thought to have particular relevance to the African context. These measures can be implemented incrementally, and can help to reduce the probability of unplanned explosions and ammunition stock losses.