Are Our Troops Safe From      Chemical or Biological Attacks?

Subcommittee Takes Testimony on DOD and VA Preparedness to Treat Servicemembers Injured by Weapons of Mass Destruction

Subcommittee on Health Chairman Rob Simmons (CT-2) chaired a hearing on Thursday, March 27, 2003 to examine the status of research on the government's deployment health and force protection policies relating to weapons of mass destruction.  Witnesses from the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense testified on specific efforts to protect our military engaged in the war in Iraq.  Witnesses included experts from four universities engaged in chemical and biological research and representatives of major veterans organizations. 

The VA chem-bio research initiative authorized by Congress last year (P.L. 107-287) has been stalled due to lack of start-up funding.  All of the witnesses at the hearing strongly endorsed the concept of VA playing a greater role in this research.  They attested to VA's value in protecting at-risk soldiers today and veterans as part of the US civilian population tomorrow.   According to the Pentagon's top physician, William Winkenwerder, "I would just say that DOD recognizes VA's obvious outstanding contributions to research, and especially as that relates to deployment health and weapons of mass destruction."  Winkenwerder also testified that he is confident the Pentagon has done all it can to protect the safety of US troops in the field, in improvements in protective equipment and clothing, record keeping, vaccination, physical health assessments and in-theater monitoring among other "lessons learned" from  the first Gulf War.  Several members of the Subcommittee, including former Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Moran (KS-1), questioned this testimony as to whether we are truly prepared for use of weapons of mass destruction.  

Subcommittee Chairman Rob Simmons vowed to work to secure funding for the new centers in the pending emergency supplemental appropriations request, expected to be considered by the House this week.   Simmons stated, "On the matter of bio-terrorism research, working with our full Committee Chairman Chris Smith, the author of the legislation authorizing these research centers, I intend to immediately introduce a bill that would reverse the prohibition on funding imposed by the appropriators.  It’s the right thing to do, and I think the testimony we heard today makes a beautiful case that we are on the right track for America’s veterans and the American people. "

Following the hearing, Chairman Simmons and Ranking Member Ciro Rodriquez sent appropriators an urgent letter, based on the Subcommittee's findings, supporting Chairman Smith's earlier letter that $5 million be included in the supplementary funding bill, to enable VA to begin the process of opening these new centers immediately.

Panel 1  Honorable William Winkenwerder, Jr., MD, MBA Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Department of Defense  (Prepared Testimony | PDF) Accompanied by:  Michael E. Kilpatrick, MD Deputy Director, Deployment Health Support Directorate Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Health Protection and Readiness  Honorable Robert H. Roswell Under Secretary for Health Department of Veterans Affairs  (Prepared Testimony | PDF) Accompanied by:  Susan Mather, MD, MPH Chief Officer, Public Health and Environmental Hazards    Panel 2  Mr. Peter S. Gaytan Principal Deputy Director Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Commission The American Legion  (Prepared Testimony | PDF) Mr. Adrian M. Atizado Associate National Legislative Director Disabled American Veterans  (Prepared Testimony | PDF) Mr. Carl Blake Associate Legislative Director Paralyzed Veterans of America  (Prepared Testimony | PDF) Mr. Richard Weidman Director of Government Relations Vietnam Veterans of America  (Prepared Testimony | PDF) Panel 3  John D. Shanley, MD Director, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Connecticut Health Center Connecticut State Chair in Infectious Diseases  (Prepared Testimony | PDF) Lawrence A. Feldman, PhD Vice President University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey  (Prepared Testimony | PDF) Harold L. Timboe, MD, MPH Director, Center for Public Health Preparedness and Biomedical Research University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio  (Prepared Testimony | PDF) Thomas E. Terndrup, MD, FACEP Director Center for Disaster Preparedness Department of Emergency Medicine University of Alabama at Birmingham  (Prepared Testimony | PDF) Submitting for the Record  Mr. Dennis Cullinan Director, National Legislative Service Veterans of Foreign Wars  (Prepared Testimony | PDF) Mr. Richard Jones National Legislative Director AMVETS
	VA Under Secretary for Health Robert Roswell (speaking) and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health William Winkenwerder (left) discussed force protection measures and the need for further research focused on treating and preventing military casualties of chemical or biological warfare.
	Representatives from The American Legion, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) and Vietnam Veterans of America argued for quickly opening four Medical Emergency Preparedness Centers authorized by P.L. 107-287.
	Dr. Harold Timboe of the University of Texas (speaking), along with Dr. Thomas E. Terndrup of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (left), and Dr. Lawrence Feldman of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (right) discussed their research collaboration efforts with VA and the need for increased funding for VA research.
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