ECBC Champion: Driving DoD Non-Medical Chemical and Biological Defense Programs
Interview with
Richard W. Decker III
Technical Director
Edgewood Chemical Biological Center
Richard (Rick) W. Decker serves as the technical director for Edgewood Chemical Biological Center. He directs the execution of research and development for the Department of Defense’s non-medical chemical and biological defense programs. Decker oversees approximately 1,600 personnel located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.; Pine Bluff Arsenal, Ark.; and Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., who conduct research, engineering and field operations in support of the joint services and civilian government agencies.
Decker previously held the position of director of engineering at Edgewood Chemical Biological Center. In this role, he was responsible for leading an 800-person organization in supporting cradle-to-grave execution of acquisition programs in the commodity areas of chemical biological detection, protection, decontamination and smoke and obscurants, primarily in support of the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical Biological Defense. Decker’s workforce specialized in developing prototypes and maturing technologies into products that the acquisition community could field to the warfighter. He also managed his organization’s support to, among others, the Joint IED Defeat Organization, Chemical Materials Agency and civilian government agencies.
Prior to this, Decker served as deputy to the Joint Program Executive Officer for Chemical Biological Defense at Fort Belvoir, Va. In this position he helped lead the organization charged with acquiring, testing and fielding chemical and biological defense equipment, medical diagnostics and countermeasures for the warfighter. He was deputy director of engineering at Edgewood Chemical Biological Center for one year prior to his support to the Joint Program Executive Officer.
Earlier in his career, Decker served as a systems manager for many type classified items to include the Joint Service General Purpose Mask, the M40/M42 Army protective mask, as well as several smoke and obscurant items. During this time, he was the recipient of numerous awards for his performance such as the Vice President Gore Hammer Award from the National Partnership for Re-inventing Government, Army Materiel Command Integrated Product Team of the year, Commander’s Medal for Civilian Service and the David Packard Acquisition Award.
Decker holds a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from University of Maryland and a Bachelors of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Decker was interviewed by MMT Editor Jeff McKaughan
Q: Let’s start off with an overview of the organization and its major elements.
A: Edgewood Chemical Biological Center [ECBC] is one of nine U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command elements under the Army Material Command. Each of these elements cooperates and collaborates. Over the past six months, the center has experienced a complete turnover in leadership. Central to the new management philosophy is a commitment to partnering with other Army, DoD and other government agencies/organizations to support the warfighters.
I have three Senior Executive Service directors who oversee the directorates and three senior technologists that support ECBC. Each has a distinct role in moving chemical and biological technologies through the development lifecycle in cooperation and collaboration with the Chemical, Biological Defense Program partners and more than one hundred other customers.
Research and Technology [R&T] Directorate’s scientific and technological infrastructure supports the full spectrum of vital non-medical U.S. chemical and biological programs. Its 435 government and on-site contractor personnel work across various scientific fields to include: Chemistry and bioscience of CB warfare, inhalation toxicology, aerosol physics, filtration sciences, and agent spectroscopy/algorithm development.
The 815 government and on-site contractors personnel of the Engineering Directorate design, build, test and support chemical and biological solutions for the warfighters and first responders. In many cases, they incorporate the technologies developed by our R&T Directorate into product prototypes that eventually become products that can be and are used by deployed soldiers. The Engineering Directorate works on projects from design, concept, prototype, all the way up to low rate production when necessary to accomplish the mission at hand in cooperation and collaboration primarily with the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological Defense [JPEO-CBD] and its joint program managers.
The Directorate of Program Integration [DPI] is the glue that holds the center together. The directorate’s 388 government and on-site contractor personnel are responsible for the support functions necessary to allow the center to run smoothly and efficiently—workforce management, safety and business operations.
In addition to its vast support services internal to the center, DPI also maintains responsibility for the center’s external CB operations. These highly specialized personnel apply the same core competencies they use keep laboratories across ECBC safe—monitoring and maintenance of CB-related equipment—to CB field work across the country and around the world. These operations include assisting in the destruction of foreign national stockpiles of chemical weapons or remediation of sites across the United States that were formally used for testing, storage or from dumping of CB agents and related materials.
Q: That’s a good look at the structure. Now tell me about the mission and role that ECBC has? Does ECBC focus on R&D or acquisition—or both?
A: ECBC is a national asset for research, development and engineering center for non-medical chemical and biological defense. It has a long and successful history—more than 90 years—developing technology in the areas of detection, protection and decontamination. The center also provides support over the entire technology development lifecycle—from basic research through engineering design, equipment evaluation, product support, sustainment, field operations and demilitarization.
ECBC’s mission is to provide integrated science, technology and engineering solutions to overcome chemical and biological vulnerabilities. To accomplish this mission, ECBC understands the rapidly changing CB threats to warfighters across the services, and then provide the scientific knowledge and technology solutions required to protect against those threats.
ECBC’s role is to support the military organizations that are responsible for managing specific parts of the technology development lifecycle, such as the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense, which is responsible for acquiring and fielding technologies; the Defense Threat Reduction Agency [DTRA], which is responsible for managing basic and applied research; the Joint Requirements Office, which determines the capabilities that are needed in the field and the Joint Test and Evaluation Office, which manages the testing and maturation of technologies. ECBC also partners with other government organizations, allied countries, academia, and the commercial sector to bring the best solutions forward.
Q: How will the Defense Base Realignment and Closure [BRAC] impact ECBC and the rest of the DOD chem/bio community?
A: BRAC will help to further consolidate elements of the chemical and biological defense community at the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground. BRAC law calls for the programmatic, funding and acquisition managers to co-locate at Edgewood. This is great news for the chemical and biological defense community in that synergy and unity between execution organizations and program managers can more readily occur.
Q: Is there currently any more emphasis being placed on protection, detection or decontamination?
A: ECBC supports many programs in the areas of detection, protection and decontamination. These technology development programs play a role in the military community’s overarching plan to address and mitigate threats from chemical and biological materials. Of late, biological defense has become an increasingly important concern to today’s military and civilian leaders. Bio threats are relatively inexpensive to produce and can yield a significant impact as a terrorist weapon. For these reasons, developing technology to remotely detect and discriminate biological aerosols from background aerosols and, ultimately, to discriminate biological warfare agents from naturally occurring aerosols, has become a top priority to the military. Until very recently, standoff detection of bio-warfare materials at relevant levels was considered unattainable by many experts in the field. In recent years, because of advances in algorithm development, technology optimization and test methodologies, ECBC has achieved critical breakthroughs in standoff biological aerosol detection. For the first time ever, warfighters and emergency responders will be able to conduct integrated chemical and biological detection and identification from standoff distances.
ECBC bioscience experts developed several innovative assays for simple and multiplex detection of pathogenic microorganisms and biological toxins using electrochemiluminescent immunosensors and real-time nucleic acid-based sensors. These protocols will provide the warfighters and first responders with easy-to-use sensitive assays that will potentially reduce unnecessary exposure of individuals to harmful bio-threat agents; allow for appropriate treatments to be administered in a timely fashion; and allow remediation activities to be implemented.
ECBC configured a new tandem virus and bacteria detection/identification system designed to answer the need for a generic unified biological detection system without the use of traditional reagents. When combined with bioinformatics tools and proteomics-based mass spectrometry system, a positive identification with gene-based accuracy, can now be made for viruses and more than 300 gene sequenced bacteria. For the first time these two threats, including genetically modified and newly created microbes, can be detected and identified in a single unlimited system.
ECBC developed a small, lightweight, low-cost, low-power biological aerosol detector called the Tactical Biological [TAC-BIO] detector. This approach is based on the proven technology of using fluorescence to detect biological agents, however, it uses low-cost ultraviolet laser emitting diodes [LED] instead of expensive lasers for the light source. To further reduce cost and weight while maximizing the performance of the detector, ECBC has collaborated with other organizations to design and manufacture plastic optical components. The prototype performance bands are currently being characterized.
ECBC scientists developed methods to remotely detect and discriminate biological warfare agents from naturally occurring background aerosols. For the first time, the promise of day and night detection and discrimination of biological aerosols clouds at operationally significant concentrations and ranges has been demonstrated.
Q: Over the years, including into the next fiscal year, how would you characterize the center’s funding?
A: ECBC is a customer-funded organization. Currently, ECBC competes for approximately 80-90 percent of its funding. To that end, it has been necessary to nurture business development and proposal writing skills in the government workforce. An interesting dynamic that has been created as a result of this increased competition is that other government laboratories and industry players are at once partners and competitors. Of late, ECBC’s annual revenue has been about $350 million.
Approximately 70 percent of that comes from DoD sources to perform mission-specific CB defense research and development. The Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense, DTRA, Chemical Materials Agency, and intelligence organizations are ECBC’s largest stakeholders. The remaining 30 percent of the revenue is from the support ECBC provides to other government agencies and commercial entities. In all, ECBC serves more than 100 distinct customer organizations each year, representing a broad and diverse customer base.
Q: What role do robotics and robotic systems have in the CBRN world and do you see that as a growth area?
A: The CB Unmanned Ground Reconnaissance advanced concept technology demonstration, or CUGR ACTD, program launched ECBC into the ground robotics field. Its successes have lead to transitioning technology to the U.S. Army and Navy for use of robots to perform chemical and radiological missions. It has also been transitioned to industry so a commercial version will be available soon.
The ACTD became the basis for expanding ECBC clients past DTRA to include the Joint Robotics Program Office and Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise where expansion into robotic bio, auto-mapping and autonomous controls will be expanded. One future project envisioned by DTRA includes involving ECBC in CB unmanned aerial platforms.
Robotics will play a significant role in the future of CBRN operations at ECBC. As one example, the new Sample Receipt Facility [SRF] will be completed in November 2008. This one-of-a-kind laboratory building will be a national resource for the receipt of uncharacterized samples—a.k.a. unknowns. The SRF is an FBI/Department of Homeland Security/Army consortium that will receive uncharacterized samples, munitions and improvised devices from military theatres of operation and from the law enforcement community. Our plan is to incorporate robotics for remote manipulation of munitions and improvised explosive devices in order to safely sample these devices in a carefully controlled (and hardened) containment room. Robotics is an essential element to interrogation of munitions/IEDs containing chemical, biological, radiological and/or explosive materials.
Q: How important are relationships and partnerships with industry developers? What are the best mechanisms to further those partnerships?
A: The private sector plays an important role in advancing chemical and biological defense technologies. ECBC’s task as a government laboratory is to enable the private sector—industry—to better support the warfighters and homeland security. Beginning with the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 and the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986, Congress and the Executive Branch have worked together to establish a policy framework that enables the federal government to transfer its technology to industry, state and local governments, and academic institutions.
Through this technology transfer process, federal laboratories share the benefits of the national investment in research and development with all segments of society. ECBC does this by sharing its knowledge and expertise accumulated from working with chemical and biological materials for almost 90 years.
ECBC has been successful at technology transfer program by transitioning government technology to the private sector, and also bringing new technologies into the military for incorporation into chemical biological defense equipment. In 2005, Genencor International, a leading biotechnology firm, began production of its new product Defenz, which is an enzyme-based technology that safely detoxifies nerve agents and organophosphorus pesticides. The product can be mixed with fire-fighting foams and sprays—adding additional capability to materials already in use in the first responder community and on the battlefield. This technology was first developed at ECBC for Warfighters use and was licensed for marketing and manufacture to Genencor.
Another decontamination technology, modified Vaporous Hydrogen Peroxide, began as a medical equipment sterilant. Originally developed by Steris Inc., this technology was widely used in hospitals and medical centers. Under a Cooperative Research Agreement, ECBC scientists worked with Steris to modify the technology to be an effective chemical decontaminant as well. This technology is in the process of being fielded to the military.
Q: The Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Information Resource Center is described as a one-stop source. Who does it serve and how?
A: The Information Resource Center is operated for the benefit of the entire chemical and biological defense community. Manned 24 hours per day, seven days each week, the center provides warfighters, first responders and government personnel information on all types of chemical and biological equipment. It can be accessed at http://www.ecbc.army.mil/ps/ce_hotline.htm or by calling 1-800-831-4408.
Q: Looking ahead, are there identifiable challenges that need attention?
A: ECBC is focused on meeting modern-day threats, not threats of the past. In that way, the threat of explosively configured weapons and that of weaponized toxic industrial materials are high priority challenges that ECBC is addressing. Likewise, today’s battlefield is not the traditional battlefield of yesterday so we must rethink not just what technology we are developing but how the warfighters need to use that technology.
A very high percentage of all U.S. fatalities and more than half of American wounded since 2003 in Iraq are attributable to a single type of weapon. IEDs are bombs constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. Mitigating the threat of IEDs for our forces has been essential. ECBC has been working with organizations charged with combating IEDs in order to improve detection technologies. ECBC is playing a key role in developing a way to analyze explosive signatures, or unique characteristics of a given explosive. Once a detonation occurs, researchers collect all the related materials and perform forensic analysis of them. This analysis involves screening for fingerprints, handcrafted circuits, soldering marks, all breakdown parts, and markers to determine if there are any unique characteristics.
ECBC also develops and validates signatures and forensic analysis methods for military explosives, homemade explosives, homemade explosive precursors, and residue. ECBC built on an existing technique used to determine the concentrations of various explosives in water and soil so that a chemical detector could find those chemicals in the air. The Center modified and validated this method for use with a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer [GC-MS] system, which enables identification and quantification of target analyses (chemical constituents).
This is a significant accomplishment because it holds the potential to allow soldiers on the ground the ability detect explosive devices, maybe even as they are being manufactured. Detecting explosives, such as IEDs, with a sensor may one day greatly reduce their deployment against soldiers in Iraq since catching a terrorist in the act would allow troops to shut down his operations, and prevent further harm.
Q: Taking a look in the opposite direction, what would you say have been the center’s notable accomplishments in the past year?
A: For decades, ECBC has played a critical role for the military, domestic law enforcement agencies and the international community in receiving and analyzing samples known or suspected to contain hazardous biological chemical agents, or radiological materials in support of warfighters in military theaters of operation, intelligence organizations and law enforcement agencies. This mission has been carried out in multiple laboratories. Because of increased workload, technical complexity of this mission and the need to maintain sample integrity for prosecutory actions in either U.S. courts or the World Court, ECBC proposed to build a new facility better suited to carry out this work. The Sample Receipt Facility is being completed now and will be operational later this year. Jointly funded by DHS, FBI and ECBC, the facility will co-locate similar missions from the three agencies.
ECBC has recently made impressive progress in developing new ways to gather forensic information from contaminated evidence that is useful to law enforcement investigators. Most recently scientists are analyzing chemical signatures of possible contaminants by examining synthetic pathways and their corresponding attributes. In other words, there are a variety of ways to create a chemical agent. The substances used to create the agents provide vital identification information that allows scientists to speculate the regions where the substances were likely created.
In a few years, the team hopes to have a means of determining where a specific agent was created, and more importantly, by whom. In another ECBC study related to the toxin ricin, scientists developed a method to trace the lineage of ricin back to its geographical area of origin. This information will be useful to the law enforcement and intelligence communities as they investigate incidents involving the use of ricin. To accomplish this, ECBC scientists are pursuing a genetic characterization of members of Ricinus communis, the plant from which ricin is derived, collected from around the world.
Little published information exists regarding the molecular diversity of the genes that encode ricin that could assist a forensics investigation. Such data, in effect fingerprints of ricin genes, and knowledge about the overall genetic diversity of Ricinus communis varieties worldwide, are required to establish assays that can identify and characterize a ricin sample regardless of its genetic or geographical source. Similarly, the existence of such data for Bacillus anthracis and related bacteria allowed the rapid identification of the anthrax strain used in the 2001 biological attacks on the U. S. Senate and media. ECBC is attempting to make such detailed analyses for ricin and R. communis available as well, which will greatly enhance the ability of the law enforcement community to locate and prosecute terrorist use of ricin. ♦