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Pentagon Investigators Find Problems with Army WMD Detection Systems
A U.S. Defense Department review of records at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah has found after that three Army reconnaissance systems designed to detect nuclear, chemical or biological contamination might not operate in affected areas, the Deseret Morning News reported yesterday (see GSN, April 5). The equipment, along with the vehicles that carry the systems, failed certain tests. Pentagon investigators could not determine if upgrades were made and tested before the systems were deployed, according to the Morning News. Investigators could also not confirm that Apache and Comanche helicopters, Stryker armored vehicles and equipment being developed could operate in areas contaminated by a WMD attack. “As a result, the risk for loss of life and equipment could be significantly increased through the use of mission-essential systems that may not be fully survivable or sustainable in contaminated environments,” states a March 28 report by the U.S. Army Audit Agency. The Army told the Morning News that it is working to correct the problems. The audit found that a 2000 Army directive calling for testing to determine whether “all mission-essential [weapons] systems were capable of surviving the nuclear, biological and chemical environments in which they may operate” was not followed. “Mission-essential Army systems weren't fully assessed for survivability and operation,” the audit found. Three of the six systems tested failed tests but were not subsequently improved, the Morning News reported. The three other systems did not have criteria to allow testing. Systems that did not meet Army standards in testing were the FOX Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance System; the Biological Detection System; and the Stryker family of armored combat vehicles. In the case of the Biological Detection System, a study done between 1999 and 2001 found that “the system wasn't expected to meet the decontaminability and hardness requirements.” The study recommended “configuration changes and corrective actions.” However, officials at the Army Test and Evaluation Center recommended the system be released, on the basis that it was “generally equivalent to that of other wheeled vehicle systems.” Auditors also found that the FOX and Stryker did not meet criteria for use in areas contaminated with biological or chemical agents or radiation. The Apache and Comanche helicopters, along with the Future Combat System weapons being developed, do not have criteria to test survivability in contaminated areas, inspectors said. The audit discovered that the Army “typically stated that systems must be nuclear-, biological- and chemical-survivable without further explanation or reference.” The Army also relied heavily on computer models and engineering studies instead of testing against live agents. “The Army built a test facility at the West Deseret Test Center and Dugway Proving Ground, which it completed in September 1997 at a cost of about $24.6 million. The Army has not used the facility to conduct tests of a complete system. Instead, engineering studies and analyses were used almost exclusively to assess the survivability of systems in contaminated environments,” according to the audit. Recommendations to correct the problems were not implemented. The Army Audit Agency said these recommendations are under review. Among the recommendations were appointment of officials to oversee survivability testing; reports on survivability programs and clearer survivability requirements (Lee Davidson, Deseret Morning News, July 5).
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