During the July 13, 1999 Public Hearing , The Department of Defense (DoD) Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses (OSAGWI) out-year budget and manpower projections were presented along with the OSAGWI mission priorities and rationale. In addition, a conceptual transition plan for OSAGWI was introduced that included the rationale, missions and functions that should be transferred, and the relationship of the phase-out plans and the budget and manpower projections. The shifting emphasis from case narratives and environmental exposure reports to information papers was also discussed.

The Special Oversight Board for Department of Defense Investigations of Gulf War Chemical and Biological Incidents (Board) requested the Special Assistant to return in sixty days with a thorough review of the OSAGWI analyses in progress and recommend those case narratives and environmental exposure reports that should be revised and reissued, continued to completion, or discontinued.

The invitation was based on the following:

• Few medical or scientific studies to date definitively link GW chemical and

biological events to servicemembers' or veterans' health problems.

• The Board wanted to explore the DOD's plan to shift focus from retrospective investigations of GW exposures to the medical aspects of troop health surveillance, monitoring and care before, during and after operational deployments.

The Chairman, Vice Chairman, three of the five Board members, and Board staff attended this meeting, at which the Special Assistant presented his project by project description of the cases currently under or awaiting investigation.

These presentation slides and backup supplementary materials papers summarized the genesis and status of each case. They also contained the recommended disposition of these cases. In several cases, the Special Assistant recommended termination of an investigation based on current findings or anticipated outcomes.

The Special Assistant supplemented the briefing with detailed one-page summaries of each case narrative and environmental exposure report. Open discussion took place between the Board members and the Special Assistant on the different elements of these reports , some of which were recommended for continuation, and some recommended for discontinuation.

The findings of both the United Nations (UNSCOM) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) conclude that no chemical weapons were known to be or found to have been shipped south of Khamisiyah, Iraq. No information, including cases narratives published by OSAGWI, has been discovered or published to either refute or challenge the UNSCOM or CIA conclusions. These findings support both the Special Assistant's recommendations to the Board and the Board's action (on those recommendations) as enumerated in this report.

A complete transcript of the meeting is available in the Board offices, and at the Board's Internet web site at http://www.oversight.ncr.gov/
 
 

The following are the Board's action(s) with respect to the recommendations presented by the Special Assistant. The Board disapproved two of the Special Assistant's recommendations (*) listed below. Each of the Special Assistant's other recommendations were approved.
 

ACTIVITY	SPECIAL ASSISTANT'S RECOMMENDATION	BOARD ACTION
11TH MARINES II	Continue and publish	Approved
2nd Marine Recon Bn. Injuries	Discontinue	*Disapproved.  Continue and publish
Air Campaign	Continue and publish	Approved
Al Jubayl, Saudi Arabia II	Continue and publish	Approved
Al Muthanna	Continue and publish	Approved
An Nasiryah II	Continue and publish	Approved
ARCENT possible chem weapons site	Discontinue (contrary to PAC guidance)	Approved
Biological Warfare	Discontinue	Approved. Prepare a summary of info gathered to date and reason for discontinuation
Camp Monterey II	Continue and publish	Approved
Czech/French II	Continue and publish	Approved
Fox Alerts 24th ID	Continue and publish	Approved
Fox Information Paper II	Continue and publish	Approved
Fox (Vehicle) north of Tallil	Discontinue	Approved
Injured Marine	Continue and publish	Approved
JCMEC/TEU Info paper	Discontinue	Approved
Khamisiyah II	Continue and publish	Approved
Kuwaiti Girls School II	Continue and publish	Approved
M256 Detection Rafha	Continue and publish	Approved
MARCENT possible Chem Weapons Site	Discontinue (contrary to PAC guidance)	Approved
Marine RSCALL (XM2) Alerts	Discontinue	Approved
Marine Breaching II	Continue and publish	Approved
Muhammadiyat	Continue and publish	Approved
Munitions Marking Info Paper	Discontinue	Approved
Possible Post-war CW use by Iraq	Discontinue	Approved. Prepare a summary of info gathered to date and reason for discontinuation
Reported Mustard Exposure II	Continue and publish	Approved
SCUD Info Paper	Discontinue	*Disapproved Continue and publish
Tallil Air Base II	Continue and publish	Approved
Ukhaydir	Continue and publish	Approved
CARC Paint	Continue and publish	Approved
Depleted Uranium II	Continue and publish	Approved
Depleted Uranium final	Continue and publish	Approved
Oil Well fires II	Continue and publish	Approved
Particulate Matter	Continue and publish	Approved
Pesticides (Use in the  Gulf War)`	Continue and publish	Approved
Retrograde Equipment	Discontinue	Approved
Water Contamination	Discontinue	Approved
GW Health Care  Policies & Practices	Discontinue	Approved. Recommend ASD(HA) and JCS review findings to date for followup. Forward to ASD(HA)
Vaccine Administration	Continue and publish	Approved. Publish (coordinate with ASD(HA))
Saudi Arabia National Guard Study	Continue and publish	Approved

• Notes: Discontinue: cease work, publish information available to date (summary format as appropriate) to include rational for discontinuation in final wrap up publication(s).

Continue and Publish: as presented to the Board.

In the Board's Interim Report, and in hearings conducted in July 1999, the Board recommended that the OSAGWI both report to the Board which on-going activities could be discontinued, and provide a phase-out plan for discontinuation of OSAGWI's investigative focused activities.

The Board believes OSAGWI can complete its mission by January 2001 based on the Special Assistant's observation that "we can reasonably complete our mission by January 2001. ..." The Board anticipates that OSAGWI activities for CY 2000 will focus on completion of the OSAGWI mission by this mutually agreed upon date.

The following Board comments apply to the other recommendations made by the Special Assistant:

• The Board recommends that the Defense Department immediately plan for a draw down of the existing OSAGWI organization, with an approved follow on organization programmed in the out years. The Board concurs with the Special Assistant's recommendation that a follow-on organization be instituted to continue the outreach, investigative and deployment health related functions that OSAGWI currently performs.
• The Special Assistant requested relief from certain unidentified PAC recommendations. The Board requests that the particular recommendation(s) be enumerated and the specific relief sought be requested in writing to the Board. The Board will respond as appropriate.
• The Board requests that the Department of Defense present to the Board, in March 2000, the proposed design of the "follow-on" organization.
• The Board recommends that the Department address the Board's observation that the mission of a DoD (OSAGWI) "follow-on organization" be defined in terms of the relationship to and functions of the new, presidentially-chartered and multi-agency, Military and Veterans Health Coordinating Board (MVHCB).

Draw-down and the proposed structure of a "follow-on" organization

Incident Analysis. The Board accepts the Special Assistant's recommendations and awaits the March 2000 briefing on the proposed organizational structure of the follow-on organization.

Veterans Data Management. The Board accepts the Special Assistant's recommendations.

The Board concurs with the proposal that all veterans' activities and outreach activities be combined into a single activity or sub-function of the follow-on organization. OSAGWI has demonstrated by its performance over the past several years, that individual veterans and Veteran Service Organizations (VSO) continue to look to the DoD as a primary contact for matters affecting veterans who once served in a military service. Veterans and VSO's expect and deserve a formal relationship with their former employer (DoD).

• The Board recommends that the follow-on organization include a departmentally established element that addresses Veterans issues on behalf of the Department. As veterans' issues are of national, as well as Department and individual Service interest, the function should appropriately be located in the Department of Defense organizational element (e.g. not in each individual military service).

The Board conducted a public hearing at Fort Lewis, Washington on October 19, 1999. At that hearing, the American Legion representative petitioned the Board to consider the relationship that has been fostered by the Special Assistant and his OSAGWI organization and the veteran's community. In particular, the American Legion representative requested that the Board consider that the OSAGWI lessons learned activity might not be appropriately assigned to the Joint Staff. The speaker stressed that the veteran outreach functions of the DoD, as conducted by the OSAGWI staff, be maintained after OSAGWI's investigative activities have ceased.

However, the Board does not view "town hall" meetings as being the cornerstone of veteran outreach activity. Rather, as outlined above by the American Legion, the Board's sense is that DoD should maintain an "organic" veteran liaison function (within OSD, at the special assistant to the Secretary level) to carry-on the outreach work OSAGWI originated. Active and visible participation in VSO events, annual meetings, etc. and an "ombudsman" type function at OSD may prove to be the most productive of these activities. During the OSAGWI drawdown, the "town hall" outreach function should be discontinued, eventually, as it relates to the issue of Gulf War illnesses (target date by the establishment of the follow-on organization). If this effort should continue, OSAGWI should advise the Board how DoD, DHHS, and DVA will be integrated into this, and other, future outreach efforts.
 
 

"Lessons Learned" The Board addressed the issue of "lessons learned" in its Interim Report, and recommended that "...any continuation of the 'lessons learned' activity at OSAGWI be supported by a plan, approved and directed by the Secretary of Defense, that addresses and recognizes the formal integration of the OSAGWI lessons learned team into the existing Military Service and Joint Staff lessons learned infrastructure."

The Board reiterates its recommendation that the OSAGWI "lessons learned" concept must be continued in some fashion and incorporated in the follow-on organization. The follow-on organization is envisioned as a "deployment" and "deployment issues" focused organization.

The individual Service doctrine commands can publish and disseminate appropriate lessons learned to insure that they are scripted for and sent to all echelons of each Service, and the Joint Staff can direct similar guidance to the Specified and Unified Commands.

Case Narratives and Environmental Exposure Reports

The Board recommends that OSAGWI identify a date in CY 2000, beyond which it will begin to draw down. OSAGWI should designate at the earliest possible time in the investigative process which case narratives will be identified as a "final report." No follow-on revisions of any report will be published.

Recommendation for Executive Action

The Board first met in November, 1998. In accordance with the Executive Order 13075, the Board is required to submit a final report within eighteen months of the first meeting. If the Executive Order is not amended, a final report will be due in May, 2000. The Board will then terminate before the end of June, 2000.

The Special Assistant has recommended, and the Board accepted and concurred, that bthe Board's tenure should be extended to coincide with the OSAGWI term to end not later than January 2001. This extension will allow the Board to provide continued oversight of the OSAGWI effort, through its transition to a "follow-on organization" and completion of on going or programmed case narratives, and or information papers and environmental exposure reports, and appropriate information papers.

The Board recommends that The Secretary of Defense request that the President amend Executive Order 13075 to read as follows:

• Section 2. Functions. (e). The Special Oversight Board shall submit an interim report within 9 months of its first meeting, and a final report upon termination of the Board, unless otherwise directed by the President. The Board may submit Special Reports as determined by the Chairman.
• Section 4. General Provisions. (b) The Special Oversight Board shall terminate on January 20, 2001 unless otherwise directed by the President.

The Board will issue a Final Report in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Executive Order 13075, any subsequent presidential directives, and the Board's charter.