	OSD Policy and DOD Doctrine on Low-Level Chemical Warfare Agent Exposures

OSD has not issued a policy, nor has DOD developed doctrine, to address exposures of U.S. troops to low levels of chemical warfare agents on the battlefield. No OSD Policy or DOD Doctrine on Low-Level Exposures

OSD has not issued a policy on the force protection regarding low-level chemical weapon agent exposures, and DOD has not developed doctrine that addresses low-level exposures to chemical warfare agents, either in isolation or combination with other contaminants that would likely be found on the battlefield. Lack of Consensus on the Effects of Low-Level Exposures

In addition to a lack of consensus on the definition or meaning of low-level exposures, there is a lack of consensus within DOD and the research community on the extent and significance of low-level exposure effects. Research on Performance and Health Effects of Low-Level Exposures

Research on animals and humans conducted by DOD and others has identified some adverse psychological, physiological, behavioral, and performance effects of low-level exposure to some chemical warfare agents. Researchers we interviewed did agree that the work that has been done to date is lacking in several aspects, including (1) the effects of exposure to low levels of chemical warfare agents in combination with other agents or contaminants likely found on future battlefields; (2) extrapolation of animal models to humans; (3) the breadth of agents tested, types of exposure routes, and length of exposure; and (4) the military or operational implications of identified or projected low-level exposure effects. However, DOD has developed proposals to fund two low-level research efforts, which are under consideration for implementation. Recent Low-Level Research Funding

Three low-level research efforts—totaling about $10 million—were included in DOD’s fiscal year 1997 and 1998 chemical and biological defense RDT&E programs. These research efforts represented about 1.5 percent of the approximately $646 million in combined obligational authority authorized for chemical and biological defense RDT&E for these 2 fiscal years. DOD officials told us that these projects were not part of a structured program to determine the performance and health effects of low-level exposures. Moreover, DOD has no chemical defense research plan to evaluate the potential performance effects of low-level exposures or the implications they may have for force protection. The strategy should address, at a minimum, the desirability of an OSD policy on the protection of troops from low-level chemical warfare agent exposures; the appropriateness of addressing low-level chemical warfare agent exposures in doctrine; the need for enhanced low-level chemical warfare agent detection, identification, and protection capabilities; the research needed to fully understand the risks posed by exposures to low levels of chemical warfare agents, in isolation and in combination with other contaminants that would be likely found on the battlefield; and the respective risks, costs, and benefits of addressing low-level chemical warfare agent exposures within DOD’s chemical and biological defense program. We monitored ongoing DOD-funded Gulf War illnesses research that addresses potential long-term health effects from low-dose or chronic chemical exposures.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) approach for addressing U.S. troop exposures to low levels of chemical warfare agents during the Gulf War, focusing on: (1) the extent to which the DOD doctrine addresses exposures to low levels of chemical warfare agents; (2) the extent to which research addresses the performance and health effects of exposures to low levels of chemical warfare agents, either in isolation or combination with other agents and contaminants that would be likely found on the battlefield; and (3) the portion of resources in DOD's chemical and biological defense research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) program explicitly directed at low-level chemical warfare agent exposures.

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) DOD does not have an integrated strategy to address low-level exposures to chemical warfare agents; (2) it has not stated a policy or developed a doctrine on the protection of troops from low-level chemical exposures on the battlefield; (3) past research indicates that low-level exposures to some chemical warfare agents may result in adverse short-term performance and long-term health effects; (4) DOD has no chemical defense research program to determine the effects of low-level exposures; (5) less than 2 percent of the RDT&E funds in DOD's chemical and biological defense program have been allocated to low-level issues in the last 2 fiscal years; (6) DOD's nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) doctrine is focused on mission accomplishment by maximizing the effectiveness of troops in a lethal NBC environment; (7) it does not address protection of the force from low-level chemical warfare agent exposures on the battlefield; (8) according to officials, DOD does not have a doctrine that addresses low-level exposures because there is no: (a) validated low-level threat; (b) consensus on the definition or meaning of low-level exposures; or (c) consensus on the effects of low-level exposures; (9) past research by DOD and others indicates that single and repeated low-level exposures to some chemical warfare agents can result in adverse psychological, physiological, behavioral, and performance effects that may have military implications; (10) the research, however, does not fully address the effects of low-level exposures to a wide variety of agents, either in isolation or combination with other agents and battlefield contaminants; chronic effects; reliability and validity of animal-human extrapolation models; the operational implications of the measured adverse impacts; and delayed performance and health effects; (11) during the last 2 fiscal years, DOD has allocated nearly $10 million, or approximately 1.5 percent of its chemical and biological defense RDT&E budget of $646 million, to fund research and development projects on low-level chemical warfare agent exposure issues; (12) however, these projects were not part of a structured DOD research program focused on low-level effects; and (13) DOD does not have a chemical and biological defense research program designed to evaluate the potential effects of low-level chemical warfare agent exposures, but funding is under consideration for two multiyear research programs addressing low-level effects.