Sanctioned by the Attorney General of the United States, the InterAgency Board for Equipment Standardization and Interoperability (IAB) was founded by the Department of Defense's Consequence Management Program Integration Office and the Department of Justice's Federal Bureau of Investigation Weapons of Mass Destruction Countermeasures on October 13, 1998.

With the participation of various local, state, and federal government organizations, the IAB formulated its mission statement, organized the board into four SubGroups and two committees, developed a Charter, and identified the IAB Process and Strategic Objectives.

The InterAgency Board (IAB) for Equipment Standardization and Interoperability is designed to establish and coordinate local, state, and federal standardization, interoperability, compatibility, and responder health and safety to prepare for, train and respond to, mitigate, and recover from any incident by identifying requirements for an all-hazards incident response with a special emphasis on Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear or Explosive (CBRNE) issues.