Mitigating the Threat of Shoulder-fired Surface-to-Air Missiles

Meeting Explores How to Disarm the Terrorists

WASHINGTON DC – Shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, which cost as little as $500 and fit in a duffle bag, are of the greatest threats to military and commercial aviation. The U.S. government struggles to protect its helicopters and the $500 billion airline industry – serviced daily by 1.8 million Americans – from terrorists armed with these deadly weapons.

On 8 March 2007, members of the Organization of American States (OAS) will determine “Effective Strategies to Mitigate the Threat Posed by the use of Man-portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) by non-State Actors.” Although precise numbers are difficult to obtain, it is believed that 500,000 MANPADS are in existence in the world today, thousands of them illegally.

This day-long meeting, organized by the Committee on Hemispheric Security, will explore the threat posed by MANPADS. Matthew Schroeder, Manager of the Arms Sales Monitoring Project at the Federation of American Scientists, will discuss effective national strategies to mitigate the MANPADS threat with a presentation on “The MANPADS Threat - A Civil Society Perspective.”

Other speakers include representatives from the International Civil Aviation Organization, United Kingdom Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

The meeting includes a demonstration on how MANPADS work by technical experts from the U.S. Department of Defense. The exhibit will be available for viewing before, during, and after the OAS meeting from 9:00am to 6:00pm. Experts will be available for questions and answers concerning the display, which will be located on the side of the OAS Main Headquarters Building on C Street, N.W.

The meeting will be held in the main building of the OAS on 17 Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20006, in the Permanent Council Room (Simon Bolivar Room) from 9:00 am to 5:30 p.m.