Interim Report to Congress

File: doc10_01.txt
Page: 01
Total Pages: 2
Subject: Interim Report to Congress

                                                                           UNCLASSIFIED           Interim Report


                                                                      collaborations under the auspices of NATO proved Cs-
                                                                      pecially valuable.

                                                                        The Army and the Air Force developed and        (U)
                        ________________________________              fielded BW agent_sampler systems and prototype detec
      _________________________________________________               tors that could

                                                                              the total detection system deplnyed repre-
         (U) The Army modified the Patriot~hich was orig-             sente  a first-time capability. The Department
       inally designed to destroy aircraft-into a successful          promulgated a vaccination policy white it identified new
       anti-tactical ballistic missile system. While this initia-     vaccine manufacturers. Vaccinations were begun on US
       tive appears to have been relatively successful, there is      personnel who also were provided with antibiotics to
       room for further irnprnvement. Data gathered from the          self-administer when directed after suspected exposure.
       operation should permit a more detailed evaluation of          The Army and the Navy established laboratories in the
       Patriot's abitity to destroy Scud warheads and its poten-      theater with special upgrades to
       tial capability against more sophisticated targets.                             To make use of all of this data1 the ~
                                                                      command and control system prepared to pass~
       Chemical and Biological Defense                                                                0 National Corn-
                                                                      mand Authority and down to t~e lowest troop echelons.
         (U) The threat of chemical or biological attack
       forced allied units to train and operate frequently in a         (U) All units deployed to SWA with standard chem-
       Mission-Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP).        Even        ical defense equiprnent needed to survive chemical at-
       though no such attacks occurred, Desert Storm experi-          tacks and continue to fight and win on a contaminated
      ence will be useful in assessing the suitability of protec-     battlefield. A typical company-sized unit deployed with
      tive gear and other defensive measures for use in a desert      equipment to avoid contaminated areas such as the
      environment.                                                    M8AI Automatic Chemical Alarms and the M256
                                                                      Chemical Detector Kits, as well as individual protective
 L)         At the start of Operation Desert Shield1 the US ~ equipment. Units also had decontamination equipment.
      and ,ts Coalition partners were                                 As a rule each unit had an M11/M13 Decon Apparatus
                                                                      for each combat vehicle and a number of M238A1
      As the crisis progressed, intelligence assessments fo-          individual Decon Kits. Specialized chemical units were
      cused on the potential that, among many agents, Iraq had        deployed with power-driven decontamination equip-
      weaponized both anthrax and botulinum toxin. Either             ment and chemical reconnaissance vehicles. German-
                                                                      donated Fuchs NBC reconnaissance vehicles were also
                                                                   ~`employed. CONUS replacement centers outfitted indi-
      A protective mask can filter out                                vidual soldier replactments with chemical protective
      ~t the outset, there were                              to       equipment prior to deployment.
      detect covert attacks                  echanisms to
      pmvidea warning                                                   (U) All items of chemical defense equipment were
                      o be of best value. Vaccines were               used extensively both in training exercises during the
      _____________                              1991.1             \ buildup phase and during the offensive portion of the
      A~199O, the Department                                          campaign. initial reports suggest that this equipment
      regarding vaccination against BW agents.                        performed as it was designed, despite the harsh desert
                                                                      environment. Large quantities of expendable supplies
         (U) With the Army serving as DOD Executive Agent             were consumed in training as units honed their chemical
      arid with an executive level coordinating committee             defense skills in preparation for expected Iraqi chemical
      working within the Office of the Secretary of Defense,          attacks. Many units donned chemical protective ensem-
      the Department embarked upon a aasb program to field            bles at the start of Operation Desert Storm and continued
      a comprehensive BW defense system before the ground             to wear portions of them throughout the ground offen-
      war began. The United Kingdom carefully coordinated             sive phase. Extensive training acclimatized soldiers so
      its BW defense efforts with the United States; past             that the additional heat of this equipment during Oper-


      Interim Report                                      L~                U'&LL~~~~                                 6-7


- Deci By: CCJ3
 Date:     10 Jan 96
 Action Of f: LtCol Habbestad