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Interview With Former Chemical Warfare Specialist
Aired March 28, 2003 - 14:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER: In the meantime, in recent days, as many of our viewers of course know, coalition forces have reported finding gas masks and other supplies that they say could be evidence that Iraqi troops expect to be using chemical warfare. Are the U.S and British coalition troops prepared for that contingency?
Joining us now, Eric Taylor is a former captain with the U.S. Army Chemical Corps, now a professor of chemistry at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Thanks very much, professor, for joining us. What's the answer to the question? Those U.S. troops, the marines, the soldiers moving in towards Baghdad, are they prepared to deal with the possibility of chemical warfare?
ERIC TAYLOR, UNIV. OF LOUISIANA, CATO INSTITUTE: I think generally speaking in the past several weeks, because of the concern that has been raised about the presence and possible use of chemical weapons by Saddam that there's been a lot of activity on the part of our military to try and shore up any loose ends that may exist. Generally speaking because intelligence sources are so active in trying to determine what his intentions are with those weapons, I think that by and large, they are as ready as they're ever going to be.
BLITZER: Well, that doesn't necessarily sound very, very encouraging, "as ready as they'll ever be." You seem to suggest there are some serious shortfalls.
TAYLOR: In terms of their training that they get under peace time conditions, I had found it hasn't changed much since it was when I was in the service about 30 years ago. Four hours of initial training is all that's required. Two hours annual refresher. The breadth and depth of the material that's involved in nuclear, biological and chemical warfare and defense cannot be done in that time frame.
BLITZER: But don't you suspect, I've been told that those frontline troops now moving in towards Baghdad, have been given a lot of training, a lot of extra training to fight with the chemical suits, the gas masks, all the kind of equipment. These aren't just regular soldiers or marines. These are the elite that are going in there now, and they've been preparing precisely for this.
TAYLOR: Well, we had the same thing happen in Gulf War I, in fact. There was a group from a colleague of mine, named Bowers' Raiders (ph), that went in there and did a lot of special training to bring the U.S. forces up to snuff because of the concern back in Gulf War I, and it took them about six months to do that, according to a GAO report. And I think it was the same GAO report that cited that had Saddam used chemical weapons, we would have taken significant casualties. It doesn't surprise me that they would have taken similar measures this time around as well to improve a preparedness and ability to respond. And I applaud them for that. I mean, it's important to do that.
But that doesn't alter the fundamental facts, as I found in my CATO paper, about the training as it is done in peacetime conditions, and it is still a requirement of four hours initial training and two hours annual. And you just can't do it in that time.
BLITZER: CATO being the CATO Institute of Research think tank in Washington.
One final question, Professor Taylor, before I let you go: The equipment, the suits, the gas masks, I've been told reportedly by U.S. military personnel that there have been dramatic improvements since the first Gulf War a dozen years ago. Do you accept that?
TAYLOR: I will accept it, for the simple reason that I have not examined the equipment. That's been done by many other individuals. My focus has been to focus on the training, because without the training, what good does all the sophisticated equipment in the world do you?
BLITZER: Professor Eric Taylor, thanks for joining us. Good to get your perspective.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired March 28, 2003 - 14:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER: In the meantime, in recent days, as many of our viewers of course know, coalition forces have reported finding gas masks and other supplies that they say could be evidence that Iraqi troops expect to be using chemical warfare. Are the U.S and British coalition troops prepared for that contingency?
Joining us now, Eric Taylor is a former captain with the U.S. Army Chemical Corps, now a professor of chemistry at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Thanks very much, professor, for joining us. What's the answer to the question? Those U.S. troops, the marines, the soldiers moving in towards Baghdad, are they prepared to deal with the possibility of chemical warfare?
ERIC TAYLOR, UNIV. OF LOUISIANA, CATO INSTITUTE: I think generally speaking in the past several weeks, because of the concern that has been raised about the presence and possible use of chemical weapons by Saddam that there's been a lot of activity on the part of our military to try and shore up any loose ends that may exist. Generally speaking because intelligence sources are so active in trying to determine what his intentions are with those weapons, I think that by and large, they are as ready as they're ever going to be.
BLITZER: Well, that doesn't necessarily sound very, very encouraging, "as ready as they'll ever be." You seem to suggest there are some serious shortfalls.
TAYLOR: In terms of their training that they get under peace time conditions, I had found it hasn't changed much since it was when I was in the service about 30 years ago. Four hours of initial training is all that's required. Two hours annual refresher. The breadth and depth of the material that's involved in nuclear, biological and chemical warfare and defense cannot be done in that time frame.
BLITZER: But don't you suspect, I've been told that those frontline troops now moving in towards Baghdad, have been given a lot of training, a lot of extra training to fight with the chemical suits, the gas masks, all the kind of equipment. These aren't just regular soldiers or marines. These are the elite that are going in there now, and they've been preparing precisely for this.
TAYLOR: Well, we had the same thing happen in Gulf War I, in fact. There was a group from a colleague of mine, named Bowers' Raiders (ph), that went in there and did a lot of special training to bring the U.S. forces up to snuff because of the concern back in Gulf War I, and it took them about six months to do that, according to a GAO report. And I think it was the same GAO report that cited that had Saddam used chemical weapons, we would have taken significant casualties. It doesn't surprise me that they would have taken similar measures this time around as well to improve a preparedness and ability to respond. And I applaud them for that. I mean, it's important to do that.
But that doesn't alter the fundamental facts, as I found in my CATO paper, about the training as it is done in peacetime conditions, and it is still a requirement of four hours initial training and two hours annual. And you just can't do it in that time.
BLITZER: CATO being the CATO Institute of Research think tank in Washington.
One final question, Professor Taylor, before I let you go: The equipment, the suits, the gas masks, I've been told reportedly by U.S. military personnel that there have been dramatic improvements since the first Gulf War a dozen years ago. Do you accept that?
TAYLOR: I will accept it, for the simple reason that I have not examined the equipment. That's been done by many other individuals. My focus has been to focus on the training, because without the training, what good does all the sophisticated equipment in the world do you?
BLITZER: Professor Eric Taylor, thanks for joining us. Good to get your perspective.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
