ISRP 2000 abstract
| Presenter/author | Title | Abstract |
|
Clifford, Frank Squadron Leader (NBC Policy), UK Ministry of Defence
|
Respiratory Protection - A UK Prospective |
The Strategic Defence Review assumed that UK
forces must anticipate a range of threats across the spectrum of
conflict and acknowledges that the possibility of use of NBC weapons is
increasing. It has been assessed that the threat of use of NBC weapons
is likely to be greatest in deployments where UK forces are operating as
part of a multi-national force beyond NATO's traditional area of
interest.
NBC Defence Policy for the protection of UK Forces identifies 5 interdependent components each of which plays a major part in allowing operations to continue and for personnel to survive. The maintenance of individual protection of all personnel is a basic requirement for the continuation of operations in the face of an NBC hazard. Furthermore, the protection afforded by a respirator to an individuals respiratory route has been acknowledged as the most critical area. The Chemical and Biological agents that may pose a threat to personnel deployed on operations requires that individuals have the necessary protective equipment available. However, degradation effects that personnel experience while wearing protective equipment will severely effects the war fighting ability of the Armed Force. NBC Protection has to be balance against the threat and the actual hazard. This presentation will outline the NBC threats and hazards that personnel may encounter on the battle field and describe how a combination of risk management and protective measures would be used to ensure that personnel survive and are able to continue with the operation. |