Air Force Scientist and Engineer Roles in Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction
Abstract
The threat of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) is a real threat to the United States homeland, its deployed forces, and its allies. To protect the Nation and its allies, the Department of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) must develop and resource a strategy to combat this threat. However, several high-level reports have concluded that DoD and the USAF lack sufficient expertise in this area. Historically, the USAF developed and retained a cadre of scientists and engineers (S&Es) to support the Nation's nuclear deterrence and counterproliferation missions. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the scope and need for continuation and enhancement of these capabilities in the post-Cold War/post-9-11 environments. The term "CBRN S&E" is used throughout this paper to describe a scientist or engineer with expertise and experience directly relevant to the technical development, detection, protection against, or effects assessment of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons or weapons that produce similar effects (such as electromagnetic pulse EMP generators). Chapter 1 defines the unique attributes of "CBRN S&Es" and the military challenge of the CBRN threat. Chapter 2 presents current doctrine and strategic direction necessitating the need for CBRN expertise in the S&E corps and briefly discusses where CBRN S&E personnel currently perform their missions. In Chapter 3, the author discusses the institutional aspects of maintaining and growing the CBRN S&E workforce, including education and training, leadership development, and personnel policies. Finally, Chapter 4 concludes with a summary of the paper and recommendations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA446377
Entities
People
- Rodney L. Miller
Organizations
- Air Command and Staff College