SUBJECT: Department of Defense Initiatives on Persian Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses - ACTION MEMORANDUM
The first initiative is the creation of an investigative "Fast Team" to analyze and expedite the provision of information to the public on reports of exposures, with the primary focus on chemical and biological warfare. The Team will analyze classified and declassified material related to Persian Gulf War veterans' illnesses. A second initiative will establish a new "800" telephone number staffed for people who want to report Persian Gulf War incidents that might have resulted in illness. Under the third initiative, the document declassification effort will support Fast Team investigative inquiries and identify reports of events which warrant additional examination.
The fourth initiative will establish a DoD Senior Level Oversight Panel, chaired by the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and supporting staff to oversee these efforts. The Oversight Panel members will include the Principal Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Atomic Energy, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Director, Defense Intelligence Agency, the Under Secretary of the Army, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, and the Deputy Director for Current Operations, Joint Staff.
For the declassification effort, I hereby assign to the following DoD officials the responsibility for locating, reviewing, and declassifying all intelligence, operational and medical records containing information relevant to possible causes of illness related to Persian Gulf War service: the Secretary of the Army for all operational records, the Assistnat Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs for all medical records, and the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency for all intelligence records. These three officials are authorized to task the Secretaries of the Military Departments, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Unified Combatant Commanders, and the other DoD Components, as necessary, for records information. The Secretary of the Army is further authorized to request personnel and other resource support from the Secretaries of the Navy and the Air Force for the purpose of financing his assigned task on a fair share basis. The declassification efforts will also support the information requirements of the Fast Team.
The Director of the Senior Level Oversight Panel Staff, in coordination with the Director of Administration and Management, is requested to develop, and submit for my approval, specific recommendations concerning the responsibilities, functions, organization, and resource requirements for the Oversight Panel Support Staff and the Fast Team.
This is a high priority requirement and I expect the personal involvement of addressees in assisting these three officials and the Oversight Panel staff, as required. If you have questions on this effort, please direct them to the Oversight Panel Staff Director, Ms. Margaret Munson or the Deputy Staff Director, Mr. J.A. Brown at 703-697-7386