Avoiding the Unavoidable: The United States Army's Adaptation to Future Chemical Environments
Abstract
In the past two decades the United States Army focused on fighting a counterinsurgency and counterterrorism war while prospective adversaries of the United States have used that time to further their military technological progress. These potential enemies have continued to develop the capability to pursue chemical warfare while finding ways to bypass international conventions and norms. Russia has created fourth generation chemical agents that pose significant threat to the United States. Also, China, North Korea, and Iran each operate in near secrecy with evidence pointing to chemical warfare capabilities. As recently as 2017, Syria employed chemical warfare against its population, with minimal recourse from the international community. The United States Army believes large scale combat operations will be the construct for future conflicts, which is a meaningful change from the operations of the previous two decades. The Army must address doctrinal countering weapons of mass destruction gaps to prevent catastrophic use of chemical weapons. The Army must also invest in significantly in modern chemical defense equipment and training across all components of the Army in chemical operations. The United States is facing an operational environment similar in nature to World War I when major international actors sought any advantage on the battlefield. The American Expeditionary Force found itself unprepared for chemical warfare. The United States Army in 2020 must not find itself unprepared to execute operations in a chemical environment against its opponents.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 21, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1159899
Entities
People
- Derek J. Thompson
Organizations
- School of Advanced Military Studies