 potential enemies of the United States have clearly indicated they are fully prepared to use CBR weapons in any future conflict. As an example, it is on record high Soviet leaders have told the Communist Party Congress that Soviet armed forces were built on the assumption that future wars would differ greatly from those of the past. A future war should be unleashed will be characterized by the massive use of air forces, various rocket weapons, and various means of mass destruction such as atomic, thermonuclear, chemical, and bacteriological weapons. This statement is backed up with military capability and nerve agent production know-how gained by the Soviets after World War II. May 1945, the Allied armies pushed into the German territory. Contrary to the expectations of many, the German defenders did not resort to toxic chemical agents, but they had made preparation for the use of toxic chemical agents on a massive scale. This can be seen from the following photographs taken by the American occupational forces. In the American occupational sector alone were stockpiles containing over 100,000 tons of chemical munitions. Over 611,000 artillery shells had been filled with the nerve agent GA. These aerial bombs were also loaded with GA. Most of the chemical munitions were destroyed by neutralization or burning, but for the nerve agent this method was considered too hazardous. Instead they were loaded aboard worn-out ships, towed far out to sea, and sunk. The loading and storage facilities in the Allied occupational zones were dismantled. The factories that manufactured the nerve agent were all in the Russian zone. They too were dismantled, taken behind the iron curtain, and put back into production. The possible use of this nerve agent capability remains as a real threat to the free world. We must remember that work is continuing and includes the development of a capability with biological agents. In common language, germs. Germs of different types that can be used for military purposes. Germs that can penetrate unprotected fortifications. Attack and neutralize vast land areas without warning. Germs that can attack and cause disease in plants. Germs that can attack and cause disease in animals. Germs that can attack and cause the deterioration of material. Germs that can attack and cause disease in people. If anti-personnel agents are used, the unit's fighting capability is reduced. Material is left intact, but for the many men incapacitated by the biological weapons system, there is a greater chance of recovery from infectious diseases than from injuries caused by conventional or nuclear weapons. Selected biological agents can be made to temporarily incapacitate. Some can kill. Chemical and biological agents and radiological weapons or agents have tremendous potential as weapons of war. For this reason, we must be prepared in meeting the CBR threat. Let's see how one commander solved the problem of preparing his men in CBR proficiency. Captain Russo, your company didn't do too well with that CBR situation in that last field exercise. The use of the warning system, to say the least, was inadequate. Marked contaminated areas were not recognized. And what's more, they didn't report new contamination. And another thing, not enough attention was paid to the use of individual protective equipment. And that goes for the detection equipment also. They were careless about the first eight measures. Your unit just isn't proficient in CBR. You've always been one of my top officers, Mike. What's the story? The men are breaking their backs, keeping things in shape. It's just that we can't fit enough CBR in with the rest of our training duties. Yeah, but you've got to, Mike. If your CBR defense fails, your whole mission as a company could get down the drain. Well, where do we begin? Well, let's start with chemical agents. I know you're familiar with them, their characteristics, and what they can do. You're aware that the majority of chemical agents are colorless, odorless, and tasteless. The fact that they are difficult to detect increases their effectiveness. You recall the casualty effects of these agents differ. Some agents can put a man out of action temporarily, others mean death. As you know, chemical and biological agents can be employed so that they have little or no effect on buildings or equipment. They are the search type weapons that can travel anywhere the air currents take them. They will penetrate into fox holes and fortifications. We have to keep in mind that CB weapons are used primarily against personnel in support of a military operation. I see how these agents have a capability, but how does that affect my unit at this time? Well, your men must know how to protect themselves against CBR agents. If you're going to carry out your responsibilities as a company commander, you'd better be sure that your unit is combat ready. Yes, sir, I will. I know you're pretty jammed up with training. There's a vehicle inspection coming up, an overnight big whack, and next week you're going on the firing range. However, there's a lot of concurrent training time with next week's range schedule. And this time should be used for training in areas you recognize as being weak. At the end of the firing schedule, all the men in the unit would have had the benefit of training in CBR as well as marksmanship. You can see it's possible to keep up with CBR training while you are involved in other operations. There are a number of basic CBR skills each soldier must learn. You know these skills are the minimum standards of CBR proficiency. The value of these standards is that they give your unit the means to measure its ability to protect itself from the effects of CBR agents while carrying out its mission. To meet these standards, your unit must have an adequate CBR organization as well as standing operating procedures. It must have trained personnel and the necessary equipment to detect these agents. It must know how to report chemical and biological as well as nuclear attacks. Above all, your unit must be able to continue its mission during these attacks. To do this, your men must be able to take protective measures in order to survive and operate during a CBR attack. You must be sure that these measures have become second nature to them. Can they mask properly in nine seconds or less? Be sure they recognize a chemical agent by its appearance or effects. They've got to know the difference between a chemical, biological, or nuclear attack. Do they know how to decontaminate themselves and their equipment? What about first aid for injuries caused by chemical agents? They must know about treatment. Do they have any trouble recognizing standard CBR markers? Are they alert to contaminated areas and how to cross them when necessary? Doing the job of taking care of their protective equipment. The periodic inspection by each individual will ensure his own protection. Major points, Mike. Any questions? No, sir. Now let's see how much you improve in your next training exercise. A few days later, Captain Rousseau sees the first opportunity. He had his training officer add CBR situations to patrol training. The objectives are to practice patrol technique, detection of chemical agents, and use of individual protective equipment. The problem of including CBR information as intelligence items and the problem of control when masked are emphasized. The training officer inspected the patrol for adequacy of CBR equipment, checked protective masks, examined the inside of the carrier to make sure the necessary accessories were present and in good order. He also checked detection equipment and made sure that correct procedures for masking were followed. Each man had gone over his equipment thoroughly before this inspection. After the patrol and the briefing took place, the patrol leader pointed out the contaminated area to the training officer. This information contributed to the overall intelligence picture. A few days later, the results of the division training inspection had reached my office. The report indicated that Rousseau's company had done very well. I asked the brigade chemical officer to sit in with us. He would be able to offer further assistance to the company commander or to his NCOs if required. Well, since my men have become aware of the CBR capability, some questions have been coming up. What kind of questions? Well, is it actually the president who makes the decision to use chemical or biological weapons? Yes, that's a decision only the president of the United States makes. And we get directives related to the use of these munitions through channels. Well, does that mean only the Army? No, the directives apply to all services. All United States forces operate under a joint doctrine. How do we get the support for these operations? Well, major support begins with research and development requirements. Chemical officers and project engineers become actively involved in various technical duties, such as planning a plant operation, discussing contracts, testing apparatus, evaluating one mask is against another, designing plant equipment and evaluating radiation shielding devices. Further research is performed on possible biological agents which are studied and evaluated. Laboratory developments must be tested and evaluated in the field. We must know the conditions under which weapons are fired in order to evaluate their effects. Besides research and development, the Army manufactures, procures, stores and supplies material for defense against CBR weapons. Then the Army support role includes all the armed services. That's right. The Army also furnishes technical advice to other services in accordance with their stated requirements. In addition, the Army has primary responsibility for CBR operations on land except those tasks otherwise assigned by the joint chiefs of staff. The Navy is responsible for CBR operations in a naval campaign and for chemical and biological fire support for amphibious and coastal operations of the Army and Marine Corps. The Marine Corps is responsible for CBR operations related to its assigned functions, including defense against enemy CBR weapons. The Air Force is responsible for aerial delivery of CBR agents against the enemy. The Army also furnishes technical advice and assistance to civil defense and other governmental agencies. The U.S. Army Chemical Center and School is the center of CBR training activities. Here civilians, officers and enlisted personnel of all services receive intensive training in CBR. Classes and CBR activities are conducted. In addition to the classroom instruction, a significant part of the training consists of field exercises. Students participate in aerial as well as ground radiological surveys. In these exercises, they learn that every unit has its own equipment and is responsible for radiological monitoring and surveys. The radiological information is reported through channels to the Tactical Operations Center at Division. This instruction is made possible by the largest radiological field training facility in the free world. At Division, within our own Tactical Operations Center, we keep up with the latest CBR situation. We depend on units like yours for information that gives us the total picture. Chemical and biological agents and nuclear weapons have tremendous potential as weapons of war. They can be adapted to a wide variety of effects. They can be used to delay, harass, disable or kill. The flexibility and effectiveness of these weapons make them extremely effective for any aggressor. The use of CBR weapons against an untrained force would be devastating. Every officer in NCO has the responsibility to make sure that he and his unit are combat ready. An important part of the training is CBR. All personnel must be capable of performing their duties in a CBR environment. Every man must know the characteristics of CBR agents and how to defend against them. Individual and unit CBR proficiency must be stressed. CBR training must be continuous and progressive. It must be incorporated into field exercises. CBR weapons will present new and different problems in the battlefield. But well-trained personnel will meet and overcome these problems. Everyone must be trained to meet the CBR threat. The reward is combat effectiveness, meeting the CBR threat.