Golden West Humanitarian Foundation | Unexploded Ordnance
The humanitarian cost of Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS) and the consequence of the illicit diversion of ammunition and explosives in conflict and post-conflict nations are more often covered across the world’s media as it remains a global problem.
Golden West’s PSSM programming began in 2014, working with the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces with funding provided by the US Dept. of State, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement. This program strengthened PSSM practices in Cambodia through physical security upgrades and equipment procurement to allow for safer ammunition management practices. The cornerstone of Golden West’s PSSM program is training and mentorship. This was provided at both the provincial “localized” level and the more sustainable level via a train-the-trainer program at the Military Technical Academy.
Rather than merely concentrating on quick fixes, Golden West advocates a holistic approach to ensuring sustainable measures are supported. Golden West can provide subject-matter-expertise in updating current National Regulations on Ammunition and Explosives, support in developing curriculum and train-the-trainer programs, ammunition through-life management planning, along with the provision of project management and technical advice for infrastructure enhancements.
Currently, Golden West is conducting the
full spectrum of PSSM activities with partner-nations in Albania, Georgia, Moldova,
Ukraine, and Cambodia.
Our partnerships allow Golden West to share ‘real-time’ experience and perspectives from the ground while also laterally being a bridge for information, advisory, and donor engagement flow back to the recipient partner nations to ensure momentum for development is maintained as a one-team effort.
We have supported the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs (UNDOA) through the Geneva Centre for Humanitarian Disarmament (GICHD) Ammunition Management Advisory Team (AMAT) with the provision of SME directing staff in the IATG verification exercise to “qualify” IATG SME’s in future deployments for the UN. This has led to a solid and professional partnership with AMAT, to which Golden West is a member of the AMAT Advisory Council and also the IATG Review Board Strategic Coordination Group.
We have a team of international experts with extensive experience managing munitions in both operational and peacetime environments. Additionally, our team has extensive management and operational experience in all aspects of the civilian Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) field over the past 15+ years. Our CEO, Allan Vosburgh, is also a Retired EOD Colonel who speaks the “Ammunition language” from his previous career field and also his time serving at the Pentagon managing the US Department of Defense HMA Program
Our success is in really understanding that national ownership is essential and that each country has different needs, capabilities, and capacities. All the countries we work with do have a sincere commitment to strengthening their ability to protect their civilian population and increase their national and regional security. This only encourages Golden West to remain committed to supporting their PSSM needs and being a catalyst for positive change.
Lee Moroney is the Director of Physical Security and Stockpile Management for Golden West. He is a former British Ammunition Technician (ATO) with operational experience in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He has continued to utilize his EOD and Ammunition Management qualifications in the NGO sphere for the past 15 years in Africa, South East Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Balkans.
During his tenure with Golden West, Lee established and managed the Cambodia PSSM support program for the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. The program ultimately helped update the National Standards and implemented a T3 program in the Technical Military Academy. His management and technical skills allowed for structured support to the Golden West Vietnam IMAS EOD Training program for two years. Lee has since shifted his focus to Golden West projects in Eastern Europe.
Supplementing his extensive experience, Lee holds a Masters’s Degree in Diplomacy and International Policy. His degree is fully utilized in his role as Director of PSSM. He is Golden West’s point of contact for various stakeholders, organizations, and partnerships, including those of the USEUCOM HMA mission, HALO Trust, and the Organization of American States (OAS). Lee also serves as Golden West’s representative on the Ammunition Management Advisory Team (AMAT) Advisory Council and the IATG TRB Strategic Coordination Group. He also assisted as an assessor on the UNODA IATG verification exercise in Austria in 2018 and in Dubai in 2021.
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Golden West Humanitarian Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in the United States of America
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