Chemical Corps: Break Glass in Case of War.
Abstract
The threat or use of chemical weapons is a likely condition of future warfare - including the early stages of war, to disrupt operations and logistics. We are living in an age in which potential adversaries, who lack the means to confront the U.S Army in a conventional conflict, may reach for chemical weapons to countervail our technological and operational advantages. To meet this challenge, Army forces must be properly trained and equipped to operate effectively and decisively in the face of chemical weapon attacks. Brigade performances in chemical defense operations is the focus of this monograph. These operations are to defend against and, if used, manage the aftereffect of a chemical attack. In spite of tremendous legislative support given to chemical readiness throughout the Armed Services in recent Government Accounting Office and Quadrennial Defense Review reports and the National Defense Strategy, U.S. Army Brigades are insufficiently trained to operate on a chemically contaminated battlefield. Chemical weapons have had a negative impact on Army operations since their first use in WWI. Today soldiers suffer from the same lack of training as those in WWI. Brigades enter into a mission totally unprepared for what may lie ahead. Intelligence gathering assets are not poised to include enemy indicators about chemical weapons. Decontamination operations are afterthought operations and therefore are unsuccessful. This leaves the question, 'Could Brigades conduct chemical defense operations if their lives depended on it?' The answer is no.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 18, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA340037
Entities
People
- David L. Wilcox
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College