Posted on 04/10/2006 11:17:03 AM PDT by jveritas
1999 Document: Chemical Platoons Applied Training In Chemical Laboratory to Detect Nerve Agents, VX Agents, Mustard Gas
Document BIAP 2003-003543 talks about the training of the Iraqi Chemical Platoon in Al Qadisya Air base. It contains training programs of 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1999.
In the Chemical training program of the year 1999, page 153 of the document, there is section concerning the “Field Chemical Laboratory”, and in this section listed the both “Theoretical Training Schedule” and “The Practical (Applied) Training Schedule” to Detection of Nerve Gas Agent, VX agent, Sulfuric Mustard Agent, and Agent that contains Cyanide.
Pages 101, 103 of the document deal with the 1996 Chemical training program and this documents it shows as well how to Detection of in the Laboratory Agent KS that contain Cyanide, Agent KS that contain Sulfuric Mustard, and Agent VX.
In the 1994 and 1996 Chemical training programs, I noticed that the TOP SECRET memos concerning these training programs were written on the back of papers that has English text in the front. The English texts were about standard construction information using water and cement, etc... If you open the document (start on page 77), you can notice the front page English text of the memo and the Top secret Arabic memo written on the back pages. This was clearly a deception scheme by the Iraqis to hide the information of Chemical training programs from UN inspectors, because in that period the UN inspectors were still in Iraq whereas in 1999 they were not there after they were kicked out by Saddam in 1998.
Most of the correspondences related to the Al Qadisya Air Base documents (spanning from 1988 to 2002) that I have read are related to the Chemical training programs and it looks like the Iraqis had an obsession with these types of training, one tournament after another, after another to train their Chemical Platoons and other members of the armed forces. They conduct many of these training programs each year and in many air force bases. From these documents, it appears to be that their air force bases whole existence was to conduct Chemical trainings.
Beginning of Partial translation of page 153 in Document BIAP 2003-003543 for Chemical Training Program in 1999
Details
4. Field Chemical Laboratory
First. Knowing the Field Chemical Laboratory
Number of Hours: Theoretical 1, Applied 1, Total 2.
B. Security measures when working in the Field Chemical
Number of Hours: Theoretical 1, Applied 1, Total 2.
C. Detection of the Nerve Agent via the Laboratory
Number of Hours: Theoretical 1, Applied 1, Total 2.
D. Detection of Agent K.S that contain the element Arsenic.
Number of Hours: Theoretical 1, Applied 1, Total 2.
E. Detection of the Sulfuric Mustard via the Laboratory.
Number of Hours: Theoretical 1, Applied 1, Total 2.
F. Detection of Agent K.S that contains Cyanide
Number of Hours: Theoretical 1, Applied 1, Total 2.
G. Detection of Tabun in the Laboratory.
Number of Hours: Theoretical 1, Applied 1, Total 2.
H. The method to examine the Decontamination Detergents via the Laboratory.
Number of Hours: Theoretical 1, Applied 1, Total 2.
Detection of the Agent V.X in the Laboratory.
Number of Hours: Theoretical 1, Applied 1, Total 2.
End of partial translation of page 153.
Beginning of Partial translation of pages 101 and 103 (1996 Chemical Training Program) of BIAP 2003-003543
Top Secret
Date 2/1/96
Hours 2, 3, 4
Organizing the paper work to fix the Chemical equipments and devices
Date 10/1
Hours 2, 3, 4
Detection of The Nerve Agents via the Field Laboratory
Date 28/1
Hours 2, 3, 4
Detection of KS agent that contain Cyanide
Date 29/1
Hours 2, 3, 4
Detection of the Sulfuric Mustard in the Laboratory.
Date 30/1
Hours 2, 3, 4
Detection of of Mustard and Sulfurs in the Laboratory
Date 13/2
Hours 2, 3, 4
Detection of the V.X Agents in the Laboratory
End of Partial Translation of Page 101 and 103.
Saddam Chemical Weapons training.
I'm surprised anthrax isn't listed here. Thanks for the hard work, jveritas!
I believe critics would answer your question by stating that the training was defensive in nature because they expected an enemy to use the weapons against their own troops.
Was there anything in the documents to point towards protecting their own troops from the effect of their own use of those weapons?
Anthrax will fall under the Biological Weapons Programs.
Oh, thanks for that explanation, jveritas. I never can keep the diff. between chemical and biological straight.
They also had chemical warfare training classes at Habaniyah and I'll bet you can guess why I know this as a fact with no uncertainty.
Training documents THAT I HAVE SEEN showed how to deploy chemical weapons.
Please keep in mind that Iraq was absolutely prohibited from having any Chemical Weapons Agents no matter how small the quantity is and no matter whether it was for defensive or offensive purposes.
Key word here are "in the laboratory". If there were no active WMD programs why would they be worried about "laboratories"?
What language were those in?
Arabic. But the pictures didn't need translation.
What kind of "chemical training" were they obsessed about? I mean, the U.S. military has chemical platoons and conducts chemical training even though we no longer plan to use them ourselves. I can't recall the number of times I had to go into the ol' gas chamber to swallow my fill of CS. So I guess the question is whether the training you describe is for protection/detection/decontamination, or for delivery.
I'm not saying that I disagree with your overall conclusion, because I don't. I just want to make sure we don't overstate the case in a few instances, because we know the MSM will focus on those few overstatements as a way to discredit what otherwise is a valid conclusion.
This appears to be the key to me. While it's true that chemical units do decontamination work, that is not all that this says.
A "practical training schedule" means that they are going ou to do some actual detecting. To do actual detecting, they must have the chemicals on hand for the troops to practice on.
That means, at a minimum, that they had small quantitities for training their troops.
Such small quantities would be deadly in the hands of a terrorist delivery system.
(T6 will correct me if I'm wrong.)
I wasn't questioning your contention that they weren't allowed any chemical weapons nor was I questioning your statement that this is a violation, just your statement that practicing with these weapons implied an offensive intent.
You're doing great work! Thanks for your efforts.
They do training tournament every three months or so and each tournament last for three to four weeks. That is a lot of training for a country that is supposed not to have anything related to Chemical Warfare.
That is absolutely correct XZINS. The Applied training means exactly that they were physically detecting these Chemical Weapon Agents since they do have “Theoretical training” as well where they prepare their troops to do the “Applied Training” with real Chemical Weapon Agent.
I haven't looked at this in detail, but this could well be defensive in nature. In other words, training to detect chemical agents dispersed by an enemy (e.g., Iran or the US). Can you point me to a clearly offensive training operation?
Exactly right.
1999 Document Chemical Platoons Applied Training In Chemical Lab to Detect Nerve Agents, VX Agents..,
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