DUGWAY PROVING GROUND, Utah -- Chaplain (Col.) Mark A. Penfold of the Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) toured the West Desert Test Center (WDTC) facilities March 16 at Dugway Proving Ground (DPG), Utah.
Dugway is a Major Range and Test Facility Base, under ATEC, which is located in Aberdeen, Md. DPG is renowned for its primary mission to provide a broad spectrum of developmental and production testing to support the nation's chemical and biological defense programs requirements.
Penfold is touring all of ATEC's installations to better understand the mission of each test center and how chaplains can best serve at their remote locations, he said.
"A chaplain's primary role is to connect and serve Soldiers and their Family Members, but a chaplain's also duties expand to proving assistance and guidance to not only the Army community, but to a workforce where they are assigned," Penfold explained.
DPG arranged for Penfold and Dugway's Chaplain ( Maj.) Bernard to tour West Desert Test Center facilities including the Joint Ambient Breeze (JABT) Tunnel and the Active Standoff Chamber (ASC), Hazardous Materials Test Facility, and the Lothar Salomon Life Sciences, the Combined Chemical Facility and the Dynamic Test Chamber.
Gary Millar, branch chief of the Test Support Division, explained that the JABT and the ASC employs vapor and aerosol simulated agents to test and evaluate chemical and biological point and standoff detection systems under varying conditions such as size, shape, speed, location, chemical content, and particle distribution can be generated and controlled.
"The ASC provides a highly stable cloud condition, which is contained by transparent air curtains that allows airflow to be mapped without weather interference," Millar said.
Of the 550-foot JABT, Millar highlighted its ability to challenge with laser-based and point detector systems in a controlled cloud under ambient environmental conditions. At the Hazardous Materials Test Facility the chaplain saw how DPG is focused explosive devises that terrorists or amateurs might use theater of military operations.
"We are addressing the use of unconventional explosives and how to mitigate this growing threat," said Christopher Johnson, chief of the Special Divisions Division.
Next was the Life Sciences Division, the only Department of Defense facility certified to test biological defense equipment and systems with aerosolized BSL-3 agents, such as viruses, bacteria, and biological toxins.
Inside the facility Penfold saw a number of small labs including (CAC) which has been the state of the art biological test chamber. Jon Hogan, the physical scientist who conducted Life Science part of the tour explained that an annex is currently being constructed, which will provide about 20 smaller for BSL-2 and BSL-3defense labs to be completed in late 2015 or spring of 2016.
Adjacent to the Life Sciences main building, is the Whole Live Agent Test WSLAT) chamber. In February, the WSLAT chamber, which uses varying environmental conditions to test the entire biological detector rather testing its components separately.
"It is now the largest Department of Defense test chamber," Hogan added.
"Final stops included the Combined Chemical Facility, Dynamic Test Chamber and the Materiel Test Facility. Testing at these facilities determine the survivability of military equipment using complex real-time detection and monitoring.
"We test detectors, protective clothing, air filtrations systems, respiratory masks and decontamination systems," said Dr. Chris Olson, the director Chemical Test Division of the 35,000 square foot building. "This is essential to the safety of our Warfighters and non-military agencies that might be responsible for mitigating and responding to a chemical threat."
The facility is widely noted for its safety features with redundant controls. The exhaust system, with multiple fans, controls and alarms, provides airflow through fume hoods used for all agent operations.
The tour concluded at the facility's annex, which houses, among other projects, the IPE mannequin system. The system features a robot that simulates human physiology to test protective equipment in a controlled chemical environment.
"I am amazed at the work you do here to protect our Soldiers in this beautiful and secluded location," Penfold said at the end of the day. "No one should underestimate impact of what you do. Seeing the first-class facilities and meeting the professional workforce helps me to better understand the importance you play in the ATEC mission."
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