The U.S. Army Chemical Corps: Past, Present, and Future
By Al Mauroni
Today, newspapers and news desks use the words “weapons of mass destruction,†anthrax, smallpox, and nerve agents at least weekly, if not daily. Developing defenses against these unconventional weapons has been the mission of the U.S. Army Chemical Corps since its inception in 1917 as the American Expeditionary Force’s Gas Services. Yet, the path from the European fields of World War I to the Middle East deserts today has not been a straight or easy one. The Department of the Army has questioned the need for a Chemical Corps several times, despite the constant and growing proliferation of nation states and terrorist groups that appear intent on arming themselves with these weapons.
This article is not intended to address the broader history of chemical and biological (CB) warfare, the doctrine, tactics, or equipment developed to defend military forces from CB warfare agents, or the particular controversies that seem to crop up surrounding this poorly understood topic. Instead, this article will outline why the U.S. Army developed a Chemical Corps, what triumphs and failures the Chemical Corps has endured, and some interesting facts about the Chemical Corps leadership. Finally, the article will answer the ultimate question: Why today a Chemical Corps?
https://armyhistory.org/the-u-s-army-chemical-corps-past-present-and-future/
