Strategic Importance of the US Army Veterinary Service in an NBC environment

摘要

As the Department of Defense Executive Agent for Veterinary Services, the U.S. Army Veterinary Service has responsibility for providing support to all branches of the Department of Defense. That support includes food safety and quality assurance; zoonotic disease control and prevention; medical research and development; and medical care for all government owned animals, This paper reviews the role of the U.S. Army Veterinary Service in an NBC environment as it relates to food safety and quality assurance. The focus of the paper is to examine the current threat from weapons of mass destruction, our doctrine for subsistence and water operations in an NBC environment, and the current capabilities of US forces to detect NBC agents in subsistence and water. A recommendation for a course of action to address the current shortcomings in doctrine and equipment is developed.