MUNITIONS AND AIR BASE OPERABILITY DIVISION CHEMICAL

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SUBJECT: MUNITIONS AND AIR BASE OPERABILITY DIVISION CHEMICAL
DEFENSE EQUIPAGE POLICY

MEMORANDUM FOR AF/LEYS/LRC
19 SEP 1990
SUBJECT: Chemical Defense Equipage Policy

1. (U) This is in response to your request for input on Lt Gen
Viccellio's comments regarding guidance for chemical defense gear
following his visit to the AOR. We believe CENTAF's current
policy of 3 ensembles per person is adequate for the present.
Until current studies to better define chemical and heat stress
risks and how we can best use our protective gear are complete,
we recommend no changes in current policy/guidance.

2. AFR 355-1 establishes guidance calling for all personnel
in or deploying to threat areas to be equipped with 4 chemical
ensembles. However, in recognition of funding limitations and
theater/unit commanders' prerogatives with regard to equipage
levels, WMP-1 calls for an incremental increase in equipage
level from 2 ensembles per person by FY88 to 4 ensembles per
person by FY92. As an interim standard, current SORTS reporting
guidance authorizes units to report their on hand versus author-
ized chemical bag status based on 3 vice 4 ensembles per bag.

3. The factor of 4 ensembles per person was the AF's best
guess on a reasonable number of suits needed for 30 days of war,
the previous Defense Guidance goal. This number is substantiated
by an Army-contracted study, which predicted an ensemble use rate
of between 3 and 4 per month. However, there is no compelling
evidence that 4 ensembles per person is an absolute must for
Desert Shield. Heat stress is likely to be a far bigger problem
than the having too few suits. AFSC has begun an accelerated
30 day study to better define and compare chemical and heat risks
associated with mission accomplishment in the AOR.

4. As far as we know, CENTAF made their decision to go with
3 ensembles per person based on the guidance described above and
their actual equipage levels. We have not attempted to override
CENTAF's policy. Although some commands deployed personnel with
4 ensembles per person, there are no indications this has caused
any major problems. Also, we do not see any inconsistency with
the LRC asking commands to report quantities of equipment against
the AFR 355-1 standards, since the LRC asked the MAJCOMs to
indicate whether they were reporting 3-ensemble or 4-ensemble
bags.

5. [(b)(2)]

[(b)(6)]

JOSEPH. SHACKELFORD, Colonel, USAF
Deputy Chief, Munitions and Air Base
Operability Division
Directorate of Operations, DCS/P&O
.