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SUBJECT:  POTENTIAL QUESTION AND RESPONSE FOR CONGRESSIONAL 
	     TESTIMONY 
 
POTENTIAL SG QUESTION & RESPONSE FOR CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY 
 
COMMITTEE			DATE			REFERENCE NO. 
HASC				5/6 FEBRUARY 1992	SGHR 92-1-8 
 
			ORIGINATING OFFICE 
INDIVIDUAL			OFFICE SYMBOL	DATE SUBMITTED 
COLONEL JONES		SGHR			30 JAN 1992 
 
QUESTION: 
Was the Air Force prepared to address the threat from biological and chemical weapons (BW/CW) 
during Desert Shield/Storm? 
 
 
RESPONSE: 
First let me emphasize the fact that biological and chemical weapons are called weapons of mass 
destruction for a reason.  Their use would have significantly complicated medical care, however, 
we were relatively satisfied with  our capability to treat BW/CW casualities by the mid-January 
time frame which was the period of greatest risk. 
	-Routine Medical Specific BW/CW training (in addition to personal protection) 
	-Continued Medical Readiness Training (in-house annual training) 
	-Special Desert Shield/Storm training 
	-Army Mobile Medical Training Teams and Joint Medical Readiness Training Center  
teams 
(CONUS and in AOR). 
	-As few chemical patients are present in peacetime, special treatment protocols were devel- 
oped and distributed to all AOR treatment facilities. 
	-Complete set of literature distributed on treatment of biological casualities. 
	-Decontamination Teams assigned to each air transportable hospital and our 250 bed 
contingency hospital in AOR. 
	-Note:  ATCs not collocated with ATHs had no decon teams. 
	-Prevention/protection 
	-"Non-medical" includes detection devices, individual protection garments (masks and 
suits), training and self administered prophylaxis and antidotes (pyridostigmine and ciprofloxacin 
tablets and atropine, pralidoxime (2-pam) and diazepam (CANA) autoinjectors). 
	-"Medical" includes antibotics, vaccines, antitoxins, additional prophylaxis and antidotes. 
	-Vaccinated selected troops in high risk situations in the AOR against most likely agents 
(anthrax and botulism). 
	-Strongly suggest request for non-Air Force specific details be passed to Army as 
Executive Agent 
for BW/CW. 
 
 
				RESPONDING OFFICE 
 
INDIVIDUAL			OFFICE SYMBOL			DATE PREPARED 


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