U.K. Buys WMD Protection Suits

The British Defense Ministry announced yesterday that it had awarded a $13.1-million contract for 44,000 suits that would protect military personnel responding to a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapon attack (see GSN, Oct. 10, 2007).

The suits supplied by British firm Remploy have been designed to fit over standard military uniforms and incorporate sealed respirators to protect troops from dangerous airborne agents.

“Individual protection is of the highest priority and these suits will allow our troops to maintain the tempo of operations should there be a chemical, nuclear or biological incident,” said Ann Taylor, the United Kingdom’s defense equipment and support minister, in a press release.

“This order … will build on improvements we have already made to the protection of our forces against nuclear, biological and chemical threats,” Taylor said.

The British Defense Ministry has also purchased portable chemical agent sensors, truck-mounted biological detection gear, and tactical radiation detection and monitoring equipment in preparation for a possible WMD attack (British Defense Ministry release, Jan. 29).

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