Iraqi TV broadcast footage last Thursday of Saddam Hussein meeting with a number of officials, including one of Iraq's top experts on germ warfare.
While it is unclear as to whether the tape was of a meeting conducted since the war had begun or of an earlier meeting, the broadcast may have been designed to send the message that Hussein's regime might be planning to use weapons of mass destruction. Later, coalition forces discovered 3,000 chemical and biological agent protective suits in Nasiriyah.
Biological and chemical weapons are characterized by low visibility, high potency, accessibility and relatively easy delivery. Dissemination of such weapons may occur through aerosol sprays, explosives or via food or water contamination. Exposure to these agents may occur through inhalation, skin exposure or by ingestion of contaminated food or water.
Although it may seem that all is lost due to the apparent ease of availability of chemical and biological warfare, Lt. Col. Tim Donovan, public affairs officer for the Wisconsin National Guard, assures families of its members that their soldiers and airmen are \part of the best-trained, best-equipped and best-led armed forces in the world."" Furthermore, their training and equipment involves ""protecting them against the effects of biological and chemical weapons in the event that they are employed.""
Miguel Morales, the Chief of Public Affairs of the U.S. Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command agrees that U.S. troops are adequately trained. According to him, forces in the Persian Gulf have been trained ""rigorously and realistically,"" and are equipped with a variety of defenses against the possibility of chemical or biological warfare.
""All of the soldiers attending the various courses at the [U.S. Army Chemical] school are required to complete toxic agent training, where they hone their skills in an environment containing chemical agents,"" Morales said. Upon completion of their training, the soldiers are ""confident, highly capable chemical soldiers who transport their knowledge and skills throughout the Army ranks.""
Troop health protection is a top priority for the U.S. Department of Defense and many layers of medical technologies and capabilities are used to protect service members, including vaccination against anthrax and smallpox, sophisticated medical equipment and deployment health practices and procedures.
According to Morales, soldiers also receive individual protection in the form of masks, suits and boots. These include the Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology, the U.S. military's newest protective garment for troops when faced with the threat of chemical and biological agents in the battlefield. In addition, Soldier Exposure Reduction Paste Against Chemical Warfare Agents serves as a physical barrier cream, providing additional protection against both nerve agent and sulfur mustard exposures, thus increasing the time available for decontamination. Troops also have access to auto-injector antidotes against nerve gas.
Apart from individual protection, highly specific and sensitive chemical and biological detection systems provide collective protection to troops. This includes the Mobile Chemical Agent Detection system, which is designed to rapidly detect, locate, classify and identify chemical agent threats within a three-mile standoff range. Furthermore, medical surveillance systems provide near-real-time, theater-wide information on medical treatment information, medical logistics information and environmental hazards, according to Morales.
Research is ongoing by the SBCCOM's Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center, a part of the U.S. Army's Research, Development and Engineering Command.
