DoD Releases Information Paper On Mission Oriented Protective Posture and Chemical Protection

WASHINGTON, December 2 , 1997 (GulfLINK)- The Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses recently released an information paper outlining the basic information on mission oriented protective posture and information about the protective clothing and equipment used by U.S. forces during the Gulf War.

The information paper explains the components and different types of chemical protective equipment used by U.S. forces during the Gulf War. The paper also tells specifically how the equipment protects against chemical warfare agents and how much time is required by individual service members to achieve various levels of protective posture.

A chemical agent protection primer, the narrative also describes the protective gear's limitations. In particular, attention is focused on performance degradation caused by routine use and the wear limits of chemical protective overgarments. The criteria commanders use to assess and determine the correct protective posture level, as well as an equipment assessment, is also explained.

One of the most important portions of the paper is the Lessons Learned section. In this portion of the report, some very valuable facts learned while operating in the Gulf in a high-threat chemical warfare environment are explained. Implementing these suggestions may help our forces become more capable of successfully operating and fighting in a chemical environment in the future.

This 27-page information paper, Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) and Chemical Protection, is now available on GulfLINK and can be accessed by clicking on the underlined phrase above.

 

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