Relevance of the U.S. Army Chemical Corps

Abstract

The US Army Chemical Corps historically has not performed its primary mission in combat and instead executed countless "in lieu of' (ILO) missions. While there are a few select assets within the Chemical Corps that routinely perform CBRN functions during combat deployments and in support of civil authorities, the vast majority of the branch executes provisional missions. Decades of not providing CBRN support to Commanders in combat, highlighted by the current operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, raise legitimate questions about the Chemical Corps' relevance to the U.S. Army. To better support the nation's CBRN defense and combating WMD efforts, the Army must facilitate a paradigm shift with regard to CBRN defense training, improve the image of the Chemical Corps and CBRN Soldiers, reorganize its CBRNE assets into a CBRNE branch, and provide better CBRN support to maneuver forces.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 15, 2010
Accession Number
ADA603269

Entities

People

  • Brian T. Hoffman

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Ammunition
  • Biological Weapons
  • Chemical Biological Radiological And Nuclear Defense
  • Chemical Warfare
  • Chemical Warfare Agents
  • Chemical Weapons
  • Combat Support
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Iraqi-War
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Students
  • Training
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Readers

  • Critical Infrastructure Protection in CBRN and WMD Threats.
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.