House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, released a statement in response to President Barack Obama’s pledge to eliminate the United States’ use of anti-personnel landmines on Tuesday, officials said.

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“It’s disappointing to see that, once again, the White House has overruled the advice of our military commanders. General Dempsey testified just a few months ago: ‘I have rendered my military advice that I consider land mines, especially the ones that we have….to be an important tool in the arsenal of the Armed Forces of the United States,’” McKeon said.

“With the security situation around the world deteriorating, the last thing we should be doing is a unilateral jettisoning of sound defensive options. We’re all in this together, and we all share the risk when the best advice of our best military experts is ignored.”

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President Clinton first called for the eventual elimination of anti-personnel landmines in his 1994 address to the United Nations General Assembly, according to White House officials.

The Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use of anti-personnel landmines was adopted by the United Nations in 1997 and was ratified by more than 150 countries, excluding the U.S.,  according to the U.N.’s website.

President Obama announced his plans to eliminate the United States’ use of the landmines and adhere more closely to the guidelines established by the Ottawa Convention during his speech at the Clinton Global Initiative on Tuesday, according to a news release.

“Outside of the unique circumstances of the Korean Peninsula -— where we have a longstanding commitment to the defense of our ally South Korea -— the United States will not use anti-personnel landmines,” Obama said.

This announcement builds upon the U.S. delegation’s announcements at the Third Review Conference of the Ottawa Convention in June that the United States would cease to produce or acquire any anti-personnel munitions that are not compliant with the Ottawa Convention.

The delegation announced that the United States would replace such munitions as they expire in the coming years as well, according to a news release.

“Once again, the President makes an end-run around Congress and demonstrates his willingness to place politics above the advice of our military leaders. His announcement today is perfect for a feel good press release but bad for the security of our men and women in uniform,” said McKeon in response to the June announcement. “It is truly an expensive solution in search of a nonexistent problem.

“Irresponsible landmine use by other countries has come at a high humanitarian price, but America isn’t part of that problem.  Indeed, we do more than any other country to clean up these irresponsible weapons.  General Dempsey has long declared the responsible land mines we use are an ‘important tool in the arsenal of the Armed Forces of the United States.’”

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