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Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD -- Just like a battery stored in a drawer for future use, some chemical biological protective equipment stored on military installations has a shelf life. This equipment is critical to warfighter safety – a mistake can be catastrophic.
The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC) monitors CB protective equipment, sees it through scheduled testing, and manages the test data. Not only does this ensure the safety of the warfighter using the equipment, but it also reduces the need to purchase replacement equipment which saves money for other readiness needs.
The customer for the shelf-life mission is the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armament Command (TACOM), and they have been supported by DECOM CBC since 2004. The scope of work includes managing the shelf-life extension test (SLET) schedule, certification of laboratories, performing tests at various certified labs, managing test results, and getting that information to the Warfighters and equipment owners.
Members of the team assign one of six certified testing laboratories to perform SLET on each lot that has been placed on the schedule by TACOM. Four of the laboratories are operated by DECOM CBC -- three located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, and another at its Rock Island, Illinois satellite research campus. The fifth and sixth labs are located at Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky and Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas.
The shelf-life equipment to be tested is considered type II, which means if it passes SLET, it can be extended until a next test date. This enhances ready-to-issue stock availability to meet warfighter needs in chemical-biological contested environments. The equipment ranges from gas masks, mask filters and parts suits to chemical biological protection shelters.
The DEVCOM CBC Test Working Group (TWG) coordinates with TACOM to have lots shipped to the designated testing laboratory, oversees the testing, gathers and reviews the results, and sends those results to officials at DEVCOM CBC or the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense who pass or fail each item. On average, around 15 percent of the lots tested fail. Each item is unique, and besides visual inspections, other testing can include functional, machine, particulate penetration, airflow resistance, and chemical testing.
The pass/fail dispositions are recorded in a data management system developed by DEVCOM CBC that goes by the name JACKS, short for Joint Acquisition CBRN Knowledge System. Warfighters and equipment owners use JACKS to manage shelf-life assets, monitor serviceability, and track condition code changes for chemical biological defense equipment, boosting warfighter readiness and reducing waste.
The members of the DEVCOM CBC TWG have a wide range of skills. They include chemists, a data management specialist, an engineer and a shipping operations specialist. They recognize the importance of their work and find satisfaction in keeping warfighters safe. “We take pride in what we do because we know we are directly contributing to the safety of the warfighter,” said Danielle Zabloudil, an engineer and data manager on the team.
Their customer at TACOM agreed, “My team requires the highest degree of confidence in the equipment we issue to Soldiers, and DEVCOM-CBC is wholly indispensable in the expedient and reliable execution of this vital service,” said Chris Shroeder, Section Leader for TACOM’s Shelf Life & Individual Chemical Equipment Management Program.
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The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, is Army Futures Command’s leader and integrator within a global ecosystem of scientific exploration and technological innovation. DEVCOM expertise spans eight major competency areas to provide integrated research, development, analysis and engineering support to the Army and DOD. From rockets to robots, drones to dozers, and aviation to artillery, DEVCOM innovation is at the core of the combat capabilities American Warfighters need to win on the battlefield of the future. For more information, visit devcom.army.mil.
The DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center is the primary DOD technical organization for non-medical chemical and biological defense. The DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center fosters research, development, testing and application of technologies for protecting our military from chemical and biological warfare agents. The Center possesses an unrivaled chemical biological defense research and development infrastructure staffed by a highly-trained, multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, technicians and specialists located at four different sites in the United States: Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas; Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois; and Dugway Proving Ground, Utah.
| Date Taken: | 04.24.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.24.2025 12:47 |
| Story ID: | 496100 |
| Location: | ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 14 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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