Chemical Warfare: Soldiers Not Adequately Equipped or Trained to Conduct Chemical Operations
C-NSIAD-91-17
Published: Jan 15, 1990. Publicly Released: Jan 15, 1990.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed whether: (1) U.S. soldiers are routinely trained and equipped to survive and sustain operations in a chemical environment; and (2) Army units are adequately equipped to carry out chemical training and wartime missions.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should ensure that commanding officers responsible for conducting training fully comply with the minimum training standards set forth in Army regulations. The Secretary of the Army should ensure that the commanding officers of the Training and Doctrine Command and the Chemical School jointly evaluate the integration of chemical doctrine into the training guidance at the other branch schools and take the necessary corrective actions. The evaluation, as a minimum, should: (1) emphasize the need to conduct routine training in full protective gear until all personnel are capable of recognizing and adequately responding to the performance degradation that occurs after extended periods in the gear; and (2) require that all combat and support personnel undergo the required chemical training under realistic conditions and demonstrate the ability to perform assigned tasks at a minimally acceptable level while in full protective gear. The Secretary of the Army should require that commanding officers annually report to their rating officials the extent to which all combat and support personnel have undergone the required chemical training and demonstrated the ability to perform assigned tasks at a minimally acceptable performance level while in full protective gear. The Secretary of the Army should require commanding officers' rating officials to consider the officers' reports on chemical training in evaluating their performance. The Secretary of the Army should direct the Commander of the U.S. Army, Europe, to comply with the existing requirements that fixed sites have approved chemical decontamination plans and that the plans be practiced at least annually. The Secretary of the Army should ascertain whether the funding level and priorities for developing, producing, and delivering chemical protective equipment should be changed. The Secretary of the Army should ascertain whether authorized chemical equipment levels should be modified and equipment availability increased. The Secretary of the Army should ascertain whether production problems being encountered with new chemical protective equipment are being resolved. |
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Topics
Army suppliesChemical warfareCombat readinessDefense capabilitiesMilitary trainingNational defense operationsMilitary forcesProtective equipmentDecontaminationNational security