Missouri Army post trains troops in handling terrorist threats

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- An Army post nestled in the Ozarks is home to the nation's training school for two mobile weapons labs that can analyze everything from air to dirt to detect anthrax and other hazardous materials.

The U.S. Chemical School at Fort Leonard Wood has sole responsibility for certifying soldiers to operate the FOX M93A1 Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance System and the P3I Biological Integrated Detection System.

The high-tech tools have become primary assets as the United States seeks to protect troops and minimize damage from chemical and biological warfare.

The school trains chemical specialists to detect biological agents such as anthrax and smallpox, as well as to monitor for chemical and radiological contamination sooner and from greater distance on the battlefield and homefront.

The Army says the two vehicles are an improvement over what was available during the Gulf War when soldiers could not identify chemical weapons without emerging from a vehicle's protective hull. Biological weapons couldn't be detected at all in 1991.

The FOX -- an amphibious three-person armored vehicle -- was first introduced during the first Gulf War when Germany donated dozens of vehicles to the cause. It can detect chemical agent clouds from at least two miles off without stopping.

The FOX takes air, water and ground samples and immediately analyzes them for signs of weapons of mass destruction. It then transmits in real time information to unit commanders in the area, said Sgt. Rodney Shelby, senior training instructor for the vehicle.

That's an important asset because chemical weapons such as mustard gas kill quickly over a limited area. Instant detection gives soldiers time to don protective gear.

"The best way to protect against chemical agents is to avoid them," he said. "The FOX is a battle asset that saves lives because it makes commanders immediately aware of hazards."

The school holds six yearly sessions, certifying at least 21 students in each, Shelby said. The next six-week session begins June 16.

Besides book work, Army and Marine trainees practice operating the sophisticated detection and alarm systems on a simulator housed in the engineering school. There is another simulator at Fort Hood in Texas, but soldiers can only get certified at Fort Leonard Wood, officials said.

Army engineers also are working with their civilian counterparts at University of Missouri-Rolla to improve the marking system.

The FOX uses a weighted, colored flag to mark hazards. But the flags often are not seen and vehicles run right over them, Shelby said.

"If you're in a Bradley, the grid using the current markers can be hard to read," he said.

The new Smart Marker System uses a satellite signal to create a grid that is read on a computer screen, Shelby said.

Technological advances also are improving in the detection of biological hazard on the battlefield. The BIDS, created in 1996, is a Humvee-mounted mobile lab that can simultaneously detect as many as four biological agents in the air.

It alerts the two-person crew that an agent has been found, but it can't identify which one, said Sgt. Kevin Mainor, who trains soldiers to use the BIDS. The findings must be verified by a laboratory, which can take up to 48 hours, he said.

"We can notify a commander, however, that a hot area has been located," Mainor said. "The idea is to minimize injuries and casualties by speeding up detection and treatment."

Another drawback is that it can only identify 10 biological agents, and that list is classified. It also searches the air, so it would not detect if a person infected with smallpox or anthrax was walking nearby, Mainor said.

"Right now, this is the most accurate method we have," he said. "One of the problems, obviously, is that bio-terrorism is a relatively new concept. We're learning as we go along."

Mainor is among those who put commissioned officers, warrant officers and enlisted personnel through a rigorous four-week course. Fort Leonard Wood is the only post with a BIDS simulator. It also has four vehicles for field exercises.

"There are still a lot of unknowns, because biological weapons are harder to detect and take days to show their effects, Mainor said. "These units do make a big difference on the battlefield."