The Alaska Star March 13, 2003
Trainers challenged to maintain proficiency
By Wiley Davis
Fort Irwin, Calif. - Heat and a lack of training could create serious problems for U.S. military personnel operating in chemically contaminated environments, officials say.
MOPP (Mission Oriented Protective Posture) provides four levels of increasing chemical - and some biological - protection, ranging from slight (MOPP-1) to complete encapsulation (MOPP-IV). MOPP-IV consists of a chemical protective over-garment, hood, gloves, boots and a mask with a special filter.
"The most important thing is proficiency," said Captain Mathew Dabbs, a chemical observer-controller at the U.S. Army's National Training Center at Fort Irwin. "The soldiers that come here have been trained but they're not proficient."
Getting those soldiers to become proficient could be problematic, according to retired army medical researcher Dr. Bernard Fine. He claims the likelihood of heat-related casualties prevents realistic training.
"There is no way to simulate a real combat mission," Fine said. "Word is out not to push these guys too hard."
Fine described a paradox between prolonged realistic training and avoidance of heat casualties.
"You can't train soldiers in MOPP-IV in the heat to a high enough level of performance without incurring heat casualties among them." Fine wrote in a paper published by GlobalSecurity.org. "In my experience, the army has not been able to solve this problem."
Because the MOPP-IV gear is non-permeable, it does not allow perspiration to escape, limiting the body's ability to regulate its temperature.
A Department of Defense paper on the subject of performance degradation under MOPP-IV conditions noted that, "rifle marksmanship drops about 15 to 19 percent, shots fired at friendly instead of enemy soldiers increase from 5 to almost 20 percent." Fine also said it takes twice as long to complete an attack, and nearly twice as many soldiers are required for success.
Air Force Lt. Col. Lansing A. Dickinson wrote of the importance for adequate training: "We need individual protective equipment that is lightweight and usable in all environments. We must ensure we have enough equipment for all individuals and make certain we train and exercise with the equipment."
Regardless of its shortcomings, the U.S. military has a job to do.
"Chemical contamination is just a condition of the battlefield," Dabbs said as he watched a contaminated vehicle being sprayed down during a training exercise, "and we're training at the NTC to deal with that."
Reach the reporter at news@alaskastar.com
Copyright © 2003, The Alaska Star and Morris Communications Corp.
