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U.S. Air Force Knowingly Spent $1 Million on Faulty Chemical Agent Detectors, DOD Report States
The U.S. Air Force wasted $1 million on unreliable chemical agent detectors, according to a Defense Department inspector general’s report, the Deseret (Utah) Morning News reported yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 8, 2003). In 2002, the Air Force purchased 100 early model chemical agent detectors for potential use in the Middle East, despite the fact that testing by manufacturer British Aerospace Systems indicated the devices were not well suited for use in hot areas or in battle. Air Force Central Command overseeing the Middle East erroneously “perceived that the JCAD ChemSentry technology provided greater operational capacity than the capabilities of fielded detectors” already in use, the report says. “The JCAD Program Office knew that the system had a high number of false alarms, that it had failed high temperature and humidity environmental tests and needed an additional shade of some kind to shield against solar radiation,” according to the report. The Air Force ordered another 100 detectors in February 2003. The Pentagon, however, mandated testing before giving permission for the purchase of the commercial detectors. Tests completed in March 2003 concluded that the detectors did not adequately confirm the presence of chemical agents. No further detectors were bought, according to the report. The Defense Department also ordered the Air Force to stop using the first 100 detectors and to gather them for further testing (Lee Davidson, Deseret Morning News, Feb. 27).
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