Naval Leadership for a Force Better Prepared

General Finding A History of Concerns—and Some Response 

Advice to naval leadership on the chemical warfare (CW) and biological warfare (BW) threat can be traced to the Cold War period. As the Navy undertook a major force buildup in the early 1980s, a memorandum from committee member Joshua Lederberg to the CNO, Admiral James Watkins, USN, was instrumental in precipitating the decision to equip some new vessels with collective protection capabilities and improved chemical weapons detectors.1 

General Accounting Office. 1996. Chemical and Biological Defense Emphasis Remains Insufficient to Resolve Continuing Problems, GAO/NSIAD-96-103, Washington, D.C., March. 

5Cohen, William S., Secretary of Defense. 1997. Quadrennial Defense Review Report, Washington, D.C. 

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