Army Chemical Review presents professional information about Chemical Corps functions related to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, smoke, flame, and civil support operations.
Issue link: https://chemical.epubxp.com/i/141522
serve as stand-alone guidance; in others, they provide the
"covering" agreement that governs the use of a more robust
document, such as an allied medical, administrative, technical,
or engineering publication. These publications are, in turn,
sometimes incorporated into U.S. Army feld manuals or joint
or sister Service equivalents.
The practical importance of NATO STANAG development
is well illustrated by the felding of rapidly deployable
outbreak investigation teams (RDOITs), as prescribed in
STANAG 2529 (AMedP-74, Rapidly Deployable Outbreak
Investigation Team [RDOIT] for Suspected Use of Biological
Warfare Agents). Merely a concept just a few years ago, the
RDOIT rapidly became a reality via the close cooperation of
NATO partner nations. STANAG 2529 provides the doctrinal
framework under which nations will build and feld rapidresponse teams that can be called upon by commanders who
are faced with a potential infectious disease outbreak. In such
situations, commanders must know whether an outbreak is real
or fctitious, whether it is nefarious (the result of a deliberate
agent release) or naturally occurring, whether the resultant
disease is contagious or poses an ongoing risk to troops, and
how to best mitigate the consequences. RDOITs are designed to
deploy within 48 hours, and they bring with them a wide range
of technical expertise (especially given their small footprints)
and substantial rapid-diagnostic capabilities, allowing them
to quickly provide information to commanders. They are also
capable of reaching back for vast technical expertise available
at military and civil scientifc facilities within the member
nations. Finally, through the standardization forged by the
CBRNMedWG and BioMedAC, RDOITs provide results
that can be confdently shared among, and trusted by, partner
NATO nations.
Conclusion
It is diffcult to overestimate the contributions of the
CBRNMedWG and BioMedAC to the development of joint
and allied doctrine. Yet the value of these entities extends well
beyond efforts at doctrinal standardization and promulgation.
These organizations represent an important mechanism for
the sharing of ideas among CBRN professionals (clinicians,
pharmacists, chemists, microbiologists, radiation physicists,
and operators). They provide a venue for the conduct of
valuable tabletop medical planning and response exercises and
a forum for distributing the lessons learned from CBRN feld
exercises such as the biennial NATO "Clean Care" exercise.
But perhaps most importantly, they are invaluable in forging
the close working relationships among allies and partners in
the boardroom that become so imperative on the battlefeld.
Endnotes:
D. Jenkins, "La Communauté Médicale de L'OTAN,"
Actu Sante, May–June, 2009, pp. 10–19, < http://en.calameo
.com/read/0001659610e037a11e4be>, accessed on 8 February
2013.
1
The NATO Standardization Agency ("Be Wise—Standardize"), 3d Edition, Brussels, Belgium,