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^SECURITY INFORMATION Urrovthorlzed Dinlomrt Subject to Oiminol Sanctions
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MOPIrt- j;BCON- i
Rfbawbtt to Forttgn Nctionoh Nof Raltotabit lo CTntrocton or
Inlcrfikofton invotVW NFI6 Dtporlmtrrfi Or*/and Extraction of Information
CorrrofWd by CViainolor Thfi Inforrwortonutnortrad lor to. ..
NFAC txfeAcattomHoeU on mfcrofkrw. Toa mkrofkrt* copy ot tWi poblitalionor tour. luuancM In odd!Hon to or in IW ol hard copUt,1 {OSt/IPS).
ua iiist&sical stvibvlltasilas sanrnzed '
soviet civil defense against chemical and biological warfare
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f. j j Own*rr*cy
' Key Judgir mti
The USSFl hai tn eiteiutve biologicalchemical warfare civil defense program. The effectiveness of ibo program, however. Is limited by the present lack of sufflctci; resource* such as shellen ind protective equipment. Preparations for defense against biological and chemical warfare are similar In some respects to those for defense against nuclear weapons ind Soviet dvll defense preparations against chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons have been and continue to be Integrated.
Most of tho Soviet civil defense shelters appear to provide adequate protection against the effects of biological and chemical weapons. The standard-type shelters are equipped with ventilation-flitration systems that include fillers specifically designed to remove chemical and biological contaminants. Currently abouto HO percent of the urban population can be accommodated In these shelters and accommodations foroercent ore to be built by
Compulsory civil defense training In general Is not taken seriously by the population. Nevertheless, those portions of the program dealing with chemical and biological weapons will generateinimum ir.creased public awareness of the effects of such weapons and appropriate defensive measures.
Soviet concern with civil defense against biological and chemical weapons continues eveniological warfare treaty has been signed and talks on limiting, chemical weapons are under way.
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Civil Defenso Training
Provisions for Individcd Protection
Provisions for Collective Protection
Protection of Food Reserves and Agricultural Crops
Chemical and Biological Alerts
Post-Strike Chemical and Biological Reconnaissance and Medical Planning-..
'.FIGURES
epresentative Designoviet Civil Defense
t SUndtrd Soviet ModeleniUatlon-FlllraHon Unit
oviet 'Air Regeneration Systems for Civil Defense
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SOVIET CIVIL [DEFENSE AGAINST CHEMICAL AND: BIOLOGICAL WARFARE
DISCUSSION
tThe principal mluloni of ilir'Soviri civilrogram are lo protect the population and to salvage the national economy! In the event ofWhite nuclear weapons ere clearly the main Soviet wartime concern, chemicala lesserweapons apparently it ill are ref aided as potential threats by the Sovietccordingly, defensive preparation* afalr.it chemical warfare (CW) and biological warfare (BW) are Integral parts of the Soviet civil defense planning and'are allotted appreciable time and resources.The most obvious Indications of Soviet civil defense preparations for CW and BW defenseompultory training for all segments of thehe staled Soviet objective to provide Individual1 protection for the entirehe procure of, shelters that provide ventilation-filtration systems capable of filtering out chemical and biological particulates;rogra/ns to protect agio-industrial enterprises andreserves, < 'J t^'Kjv^^V'
The Soviet programivil 'defenseand Individual and collective protectionthe general population from the effectsweapons of mass destruction. JAprogram edits In order to train andpopulation on the effects of nuclear, chemical,weapons and also on the means foragainst them. The greatest single fad-limit the effectiveness of ^he Soviethe lack of sufficientof an Immlnenl attack. Thii factor aboIn large part the specific course ofthat would be taken, I*
SOVIET PERCEPTIONS OF THE THREAT OF BW
AND CW M|
Perceptions of tho threat of BW and CW held by the Soviet civil defense policymakers are not clear.
I On the one hand, instructions on the effectsraining In the countermeesures to BW and CWweapons ore Integral parts of the civilrogram. On the other, it now appears that the Sovietselatively accurate evaluation of the current defideocks In US CW and BW capabilities.
' The Soviets give attention to CW and BW defense preparedness probably because:
J I) CW aad BW defeeee effort! an Ibe mult of enphaOi j
aVeaaapil wbaa tha US bad viableW androanena. and bee not been revta*
II periodic pubtldtv In the US abevt lb* propoaed Unaryt weapon eeowaattoo may have ceervineed one Sovktjoarihle rrrtvel of CW weanoea eyatmi In the USi
be Sovieu know that CW or BW weapons are peaaesmd hy potential arrwartat other than tbe US; and
ha IncitolenCW and BW In the ctril defenee prof ram adds relatively ettle etperae lo the pre* -as In view of Ira propafanda value, and Ode beneftb can be derived from thb .to uppec&na; of hreith lUndirdi.
robable that the Soviet BW/CW civil defense efforts are attributable lo some combination of the above reasons. The holdover of policy from earlier years may be the predominant teason. Many of these same reasons may be behind Soviet military policytrong CW and BW defensive, as wellffenslve. capability Is an Integral part of current militaryhatever the reaion. the Soviet military continues lo devote extensive resources to
CBR defense.
BW/CW CIVIL DEFENSE TRAINING
Defensive measures against BW and CW are Integral parts of the Soviet civil defense training program. The stated Soviet belief Is that reliable methods exist to protect against the weapons of mass destruction and that lubstantlal reduction In loncs can
be achieved if ihe entireamiliar! ; jI -i
Civil defense training Ii compulsory in the! USSR and Includes essentiallyegments ofhis training Is most obvious in schools, premllltary training programs, rrw^'ch and academic Institutes, and at manufacturingraining programs typically comicerieslassroom lectures, dtmorutrations and ejercbes using protective clothing,gasndhe lecturesffects of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and-the cnunlermesuwea to jtberrLi Thegents described are those that have been standard ired in the
.Many students view thb training as useless, boring, andaste ofespite thiseception, the compulsory civil defensen making most of the Soviet population at least aware of chemical and biological weapons and their effects, and such training aba gives themractical experience With protective equipment. Thbeinforced by civil defense displays and postersW or BW theme that appear In public places and at work4 I
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. The Soviets haveany cnunges to modernize the civil defense (ruining program In the past fewhe,thrust of these changes has been to emphasize practical skills rather than theoretical knowledge given In lectures. The Soviets emphasize the concept that by studying and practicingechnlques.ossible to survive an attack by weupons of mass destruction. They, thereby, hopevercome the often encountered attitude ofoward CBRji^ti ]HJ.
"( ROVISIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL PROTECTION
Protection of the Individuali from jthe Immediate;:
effects of an enemy strike with chemicals or biological
weapons consists of gas masks,!rerpirators, protective j
and individual first aid kits.; |
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The stated Sovieto provide individual
. protection for the entire population as part of the civil defense program.1'Toward:.thii goal, the Soviets
deilgned and standardized numerous pieces of CBR protective equipment such as'gas-masks for adults ond children; prolertlve|chambers for Infants,
, and srtf-ald kits containing deconlamlnants, chemical antidotes, antibiotics, and; antlradlatlon pills. Nevertheless, for practical reasons; the SovliU havenot stockpiled such equipment for every man. woman, and child, even In urban areas. For the general population. It appears the Soviets Intend to relyignificant degree on Improvised methods of CBR protection as evidenced by the civil defense teachings or methods of making such Items as gauze dust masks and Impregnated dothlng at home.
A variety of sources indicate lhat the available Individual CBR protective equipment will be dbtrlbuted In order of priority. Civil defense personnel, security forces, and personnel In emergency services will be Issued complete protective suits and gas masks. Thb equipment also may be issued to worken in key Industries: otherwise, worken In factories and Institutes will be issued only gashe general population will receive protective equipment asvailable;ot known how this will be accomplished.
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PROVISIONS FOR COLLECTIVE PROTECTION
The Soviet program for the collective protection of the population from the effecb of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons emphasizes shelters. There are permanent shelten and shelten that are to be "hastily" constructed from available materiaU whenhreat ofermanent shelten have been built for many yean in the Soviet Union, and new shelter designs were developed following the resurgence of Interest In civil defense In the
The shellen are constructed In varying sizes (small, capacity up; medium. ISOnd large,ersons) and are located eitherasement area or underground In an area adjacentuilding. Although shelter construction appears to be progressing at an appreciable rate, the number alreadystimated lo be sufficient to protectercent of the urbann estimatedoercent of the urban population will be protected. While the effects of nuclear weapons are the primary considerations In the designs of these shelten, most permanenWhelten appear to provide adequate protection from ihe effects of chemical and biological weapons.
The degree of protection that Soviet shelten afford to chemical and biological contaminants is dependent primarily on Ihe design, capacity, and maintenance of the ventllallon-flltratlon system. Thb system has Ihe complei task of regulating the composition, temperature, and humidity of the air.
^Rapea-sentatlve Daiignovial Civil Dafansa ShaJttr
part of the ventilation-
Thr jtundurd system, commonly described as being used In Soviet civil defense shelters, utilizes two separate filtering components with commonne unit Is designed to remove dust and radioactive particles, and the other to remove chemical and biological contaminants. An air-regeneration system Io be used when the shelter must be sealed frequently is described filtration system.
Protection from the effects of chemical and biological contaminants Is achieved by passing the Incuming air through particulate and; adsorptlveystem* designed for this tnik have been iivniliihle for many years In the Soviet military, and Mime nf these samethe modelused (or air purification In civil defense shelters. Theodel (Figureraws air from outside the shelterier of three large replaceable canisters Each canister contains paper particulate filters (for removing biologicaland activated charcoal (for adsorbing chemical agents).
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Theodel also will remove radioactive particulate matter, but this task preferentially Is nccnmpllslifd by an ailed, fiber mesh dust filter unit This unit Is located away from the main shelter area near the points for air Intake. Thus, the radioactive substances that accumulate In the filter are keptafe distance from the shelter occupants.
Flgur* 2.
I.AIr Intok*mergency Air intakeaNeremierhanoeovar Rodlltar-Adeorptlon Canister*laolro-Man-jallower Shertir Separation Syatam It.otorVatv*
Standard Sovlat ModtlanlKollon-ftJtratlon Unit
jwsattr
Normal ventilation of (tiearried oui wilh only the pitrtlcnlatr flllrrlna; unit engaged. This unituch higher capacity and lew aerodynamic resistance than the biological and chemical filteringhe latter is to be activatediologicalchemical attack occurs or Is anticipated.
Reference* have been made tn the Soviet lireuturc to alr-regeneratlng systems for civil defensenese systems are for use when (he cutildeot usable, such asire storm, and theealed hermetically. The system moot commonly described relies on lithium;or calcium hydroxide canbters to adsorb carbon dioxide and cylinders of compressed oxygen or air to supply oxygen (Figurearious Soviet dvll defense jmanuaU also mention superoxide iyste.ni as being mora {advanced air-regeneration units (Figurehese references do not specifically state, however, under *hatother than In areas of high fireair* regeneration systems actually aW installed. Where such systemsheir use with the scaled shelter would provide complete protection from chemical and bacteriological agents.
The maintenance required to ensure full effective*of shelter ventilation-filtrationlgb, So-vlet publications call for periodic Inspection cf icaii. overpressure valves, and shock attenuationumidity, which cause" corrosion of ductwork and electrical equipment and the deterioration of canister contents. Is the greatest single problem In shelter maintenance. Periodic inspection, oiling, and painting are required to maintain the effectiveness of the ventilation-filtration system In, removing CBR contaminants. j
Less sophbtlcaled permanent shelter) as well as
designs for shelters to be built from available materials
In the event of war have appeared In the Soviet
literature in recenthe degree of protection
afforded by these shelters depends on the existence of
lteting units. The designs for improvised filtration
systems Inclrde such techniques as drawing the
incoming airhick bed of sand and
furnacehe Soviets claim that such techniques
are effective In removing CBR contaminants, but the
' effectiveness would appear to be largely dependent on
the skill of the Individuals constructing the systems.
J; ! ii; PROTECTION OF FOOD RESERVES AND
AGRICULTURAL CROPS
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The Soviet civil defense program also Includes provisions for protecting food supplies and agricultural crop* In the event of1 Enterprises for agricultural production are believed by the Soviets to be vulnerable to radloadlve fallout and also to possible attack by "antlcrop" chemical and blolcglcal warfare.'
The Snvlets have reserves of food which arc referred to as "state reserves'* and "strategic reserves."Only the reserves of grain, the staple of the Soviet diet, have been studied to any extent In the Intelligence community.M
The distinctions between the different types of grain reserves are not clearly understood. The Soviets do not publish Information about the amount of grain In the strategic reserves nor the varied types and placesrain storage; the amounts that are reservedartime military and civil defense use are notevertheless, In addition to the traditional grain bunkers and other farm. storage, the Intelligence community hasumber of' unusual bunkered groin storage facilities locatedhe USSR. These facilities consbt of undergroundemi-underground structures and could be storagemall partillion metric tons) of the Soviet strategic grainhe underground bunkers are constructed of reinforced concrete with an earth cover which would enhance'the bunker's survival against nuclear weapons effects. They alto are expected to provide good protection fromnd biological contamination because they couldasily sealed for periods long enough toecontamination of the area.
Recent Soviet and Soviet Bloc publications describe the civil defense program foromplexes and spedflcally address the problem of I! protedlon of livestock from the effects ofnd chemicalhb program bto be of Increasing Importance because of the trend In the USSR toward concentrating livestock in large agro-industrialhe methodsdescribed for protecting livestocksolation of the most valunble animals In airtighthe use of special "gas masks" for somefficient use of antidotes and vacdnes;rotection of feed and water suppliesontamination by chemical and biological agents.oviet publications stale that training ofersonnel In theserovidedgricultural Institutes and trade schoob,
oubtful that Soviet livestock enterprises presently have many structures that would provide adequate protection from biological or chemical
b. Convection typa uliftifnaeuparoxldai (or botfi oxyoen - Generation and carbon dioxide
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Type comlallng of compnJaaad oxyoen (or air) cyindent with canistersdiorbtno carbon dioxide.
. Sovttt Air Regeneration Systemi foranM SMlci
uktim uf ilmt the Soviets have distributed livestock mutki. On the other hand, the Soviet llveitock Induiiry Ii dlipened to tlte extent thatmall purl would be threatenedirect chemical or biological atlack. Thus, the plani for agro-lnduilrial protection may appear thorough on paper, but they only could be Implemented with much eipenre and thorough training of the labor force
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CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ALERTS
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The Soviet public li required toeriei of eight warning and alertwo of these' warnings are "Chemical Attack" and "Biological1ll of the alert are to be Initiated by1 local or national civil defense staffs and command posts. The alerts are transmitted through the civil defense communications networks, announced locally
elermlne and mark tbe borders of contaminatedetermln* Ihe direction of spread ol lhc chemical agent;etermine and mark row (or bypassing areas of chemicalatc chemical units are trained to operate both on foot and In vehicle*'
Some Sovietrnse publications describe medical-chemical reconnaissance teams that follow the chemical reconnaissance patrols. These teams are responsible for preventing mass secondary chemical Injuries by the ingestion of chemicallyaler and foodhese teams also are responsible for testing food and water stores with Instruments and taking samples for detailedo be .performed in thef theanitary-epidemiology (Sanepid) stations."
Soviet plans call for medical treatment totelevUlon andto chemical casualties as soon alter
Publications are 'widely distributed to the Soviet population and they present In detail the* action to be. taken following an alert.hese instructions direct the use of gas masks and protective clothing and when and how to enter shelters. If shelters are not accessible, the people will be Instructed to leave contaminated areas or to await further Instruction. Estimated times for Ihe completion of each step of ihese procedures areJ
and factory-. * U'posslble. Tothis, antidote
'!.'i.!syringes are reported to be Included In the personal
first aid kits of civilians to allow rapid self- and mutual-aid. Follow-on medical aid for chemical casualties is rendered outside the contaminated areas by first aid detachments.econd medical evacuation stage, spedallwd medical care for chemical casualties Is to be administered at hospitals outside urban areas.*
POST-STRIKE CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICALND MEDICAL PLANNING
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Soviet civil defense plans are highly dependent on rapid, efficient reconnaissance.o determine areas of destruction and contamination following an enemy strike wiih weapons of mass destrcc*ion. The reconnaissanceonductedumber of general, as well as specialized/ units' within both the
mililary and civilian defense*
he detection and Identification of chemical agents are the respcrisibilities of chemical reconnaissance units that must accomplish the followingetermine the time and place.of the chemical strike and the type ond concentration of agent employed;
The Soviet approach to containing the effects of biological weapons within the generalo uk strict "quarantine" measures. The Soviets realize the Impossibility of determining the exact boundariesiologically contaminated area. Consequently, their BW defense plan focuses on Identifying the location of the source of the contamination and then determining the approximate boundaries ofbased on meteorological andconsiderations. Once the contaminating agent is Identified, the best course of decontamination, therapeutic, and preventive measures will be chosen. The Soviets realize thai detailed procedures cannot be standardized because of the number of possible BW agents that could be used against them and the lack of effective vaccines and antibiotics against some ofhus, tbe overall effectiveness of the BW defense planning will depend on ihe ability of the Soviets to Identify rapidly the causative agent and to implement counlermeasures.
ThU paptr was
Office of Scientific Intelligence anannnated as appropriate within CIA. Queillonx and comments may be addreued io
REFERENCES
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