Wolfgang Spyra - Böcker

Prof. Dr. -Ing. Wolfgang Spyra Brandenburg University of Technology in Cottbus, Germany The demilitarization and conversion of military properties wor- wide has been a topic of growing importance since the end of the Cold War. The slowing of the arms race brought on by weapons treaties and relaxed tensions between NATO and Warsaw Pact nations caused sto- piles of conventional weapons to become superfluous. The need to process and dispose of such weapons began more quickly in NATO countries. This demilitarization process began shortly after the reunification of Germany and was largely completed by the mid to late 1990’s. The remaining process, no small task in itself, of converting lands formerly used by the military into safe and environmentally acceptable landscapes may continue for decades to come. Due to a lack of resources and technology, the process of demilitarization in the former Warsaw Pact countries has launched more slowly. In 2002 both Georgia and Moldova finished projects which destroyed their stocks of liquid ballistic missile components. Both these projects were carried out through the cooperative support of trans-national organizations, private contractors, and research institutions. The Republic of Azerbaijan now finds itself at the beginning of its demilitarization process. Stored at the country’s military depots are over 2000 tons of missile fuels, oxidizer, and chemical additives. This hazardous waste is kept in tanks intended only for temporary transport and storage.

Prof. Dr. -Ing. Wolfgang Spyra Brandenburg University of Technology in Cottbus, Germany The demilitarization and conversion of military properties wor- wide has been a topic of growing importance since the end of the Cold War. The slowing of the arms race brought on by weapons treaties and relaxed tensions between NATO and Warsaw Pact nations caused sto- piles of conventional weapons to become superfluous. The need to process and dispose of such weapons began more quickly in NATO countries. This demilitarization process began shortly after the reunification of Germany and was largely completed by the mid to late 1990’s. The remaining process, no small task in itself, of converting lands formerly used by the military into safe and environmentally acceptable landscapes may continue for decades to come. Due to a lack of resources and technology, the process of demilitarization in the former Warsaw Pact countries has launched more slowly. In 2002 both Georgia and Moldova finished projects which destroyed their stocks of liquid ballistic missile components. Both these projects were carried out through the cooperative support of trans-national organizations, private contractors, and research institutions. The Republic of Azerbaijan now finds itself at the beginning of its demilitarization process. Stored at the country’s military depots are over 2000 tons of missile fuels, oxidizer, and chemical additives. This hazardous waste is kept in tanks intended only for temporary transport and storage.

Although the end of the Cold War has paved the way to a substantial demilitarisation and conversion, the leftovers of this process – such as former military installations, military training areas, and huge quantities of unserviceable ammunition and equipment – still pose a severe threat to the environment of both NATO and Partner countries.The rehabilitation of these areas for civilian uses is extremely costly and is generally in the short and medium term not possible. For this reason, the development of new methods for the estimation avoidance of risks should receive special priority. In the context of this ARW, the reconnaissance and appraisal of conversion areas with respect to costs, returns, and legal considerations were discussed. The decades-long use of some areas led to the heavy loading of contaminates. Every task of conversion has as its goal the elimination of dangers to humans and nature, and the return of areas to civil use, such that these areas can be used realise economic interests of the society.