Chemical Warfare Agent Detectors Probe The Fogs Of War
LOIS R. EMBER · Chemical & Engineering News · 1994
The air-power-dominated Persian Gulf War was the largest massing of coalition forces since World War II. Fought in a desert environment, it presented unique stresses to personnel and machinery, not the least of which was knowing from the onset that Iraq could carry out its threat to use chemical and biological weapons against the U.S. and its allies. This short conflict left its own intriguing legacy of unanswered questions. Were chemical weapons used in the theater of war? Some U.S. allies, many U.S. service members, and a U.S. Senator believe they were. Yet both U.S. and U.K. defense establishments offer emphatic denials. If these defense organizations are correct, why didn't Saddam Hussein use weapons he had, especially after the aerial bombings swiftly backed him into a corner and he had nothing to lose? If Saddam Hussein didn't use chemical weapons, how can the multitude of warning alarms that sounded, alarms ...