Chemical and Biological Defense: Units Better Equipped, but Training and Readiness Reporting Problems Remain - Government Accountability Office (GAO) report

Chemical and Biological Defense: Units Better Equipped, but Training and Readiness Reporting Problems Remain - GAO Report

Date:	Nov. 14, 2000
Report No.:	GAO-01-27
Pages:	36
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Subjects: Biological agents Biological warfare Chemical agents Chemical warfare Combat readiness Defense contingency planning Emergency preparedness Military research and development Military training Private sector practices DOD Chemical and Biological Defense Program DOD Status of Resources and Training System Defense capabilities Biological weapons Army supplies Summary: The Pentagon believes that chemical and biological weapons are likely to be used early in a conflict to disrupt U.S. operations and logistics and to potentially offset the overwhelming conventional warfare capabilities of U.S. forces; however, studies have confirmed that U.S. forces are not fully prepared to defend against chemical or biological weapons and could suffer significant casualties if they are used. A study of Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps divisions showed that recent changes to the system are a step in the right direction to improving chemical and biological defense readiness reporting, but the changes do not require units to report on the condition of their chemical and biological defense equipment; thus, these reports could provide incomplete or misleading information on the status of equipment, a key element in assessing overall unit readiness.