NATOS PREPARATIONS FOR CHEMICAL WARFARE

The American programme was not promoted in isolation. The United States co-operates extensively with her allies in NATO on all aspects of chemical defence. They have agreed standards for protective equipment, training, organisation, and procedures which are 

nonetheless, has agreed certain basic principles of NBC defence, namely  

Deficiencies persist, nonetheless, in respirator design. Research in several countries has sought to improve vision through the mask, so enabling optical sights and equipment to be used more effectively, to ease breathing within the face piece, and to improve speech transmis- 

Servicemen, however well trained, can only undertake strenuous duties wearing their full protective clothing for a limited period of time. They will experience physiological and thermal stress, especially in temperatures above 70 Fahrenheit. They will require rest and relief. They will have to complete various bodily functions and to shave, eat and drink. There are emergency drills to permit some of these activities, especially drinking, in a toxic environment but they are hardly ideal. Certain military specialists, moreover, like doctors, simply cannot perform their tasks in a contaminated, toxic environment. To meet these requirements, collective protection centres have to be established within buildings, vehicles and shelters, whether permanent or transportable. The internal areas are sealed by providing 

France and West Germany have pursued a more traditional approach. Both have established units of NBC defence spedahsts and attached them to their front-line forces. Both have invested in a wide array of decontamination apparatus. The French have a trailer-mounted system in service, which carries 600 litres of a decontaminant solution and uses a high pressure pump to decontaminate personnel, equipment and enclosed spaces. They also have apparatus for decontaminating terrain, the temporary decontamination of equipment and clothing, and held showers for the temporary decontamination of personnel. Equally extensive is the range of equipment possessed by the Bundeswehr. All vehicle crews are equipped to provide limited immediate decontamination of the points of contact on their vehicles. 

---