Air Force counter-biological warfare reaches milestone Published May 12, 2008 WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- The Air Force counter-biological warfare concept of operations recently reached a critical milestone, achieving initial operational capability across the service. "It results from six years of analysis and testing," said Col. Steve Lucky, chief of the Air Force Strategic Plans & Policy Division at the Pentagon. "Although these new procedures significantly improve our ability to operate in a biological warfare environment, there is still a significant amount of work to be done to fully prepare the Air Force to meet the threat," Colonel Lucky said. "Air Force major commands are working together to ensure the CONOPS reaches full operational capability by April 2009 and is successfully institutionalized across the service." Simply put, the CONOPS for counter-biological warfare outlines the Air Force approach to countering biological warfare and terrorism, as well as naturally occurring disease outbreaks. It prescribes the actions to be taken before, during and after a biological event to limit casualties and sustain mission capability at Air Force installations. Base commanders use operational risk management to evaluate possible courses of action, identify risks and benefits, and determine the best course of action for installation response. Several additions have been made to various Air Force instructions regarding biological warfare. An example includes AFI 10-2604, Disease Containment Planning Guidance. This document provides policy and guidance for disease containment planning, outlines roles and responsibilities and identifies planning considerations. There are also several online courses devoted to the CONOPS, including the (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) Awareness Course, the CBRN Key Leaders Course and the CBRN Survival Skills Course. "Now the Air Force will actively implement and integrate this CONOPS to reach full operational capability and to support its long-term institutionalization," said Colonel Lucky. "We are embedding these procedures across the service to effectively prepare Air Force installations for potential biological warfare attacks." Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link) View the comments/letters page