Following the November 1998 session, in response to Chairman Rudman�s direction, the Board immediately began a schedule of informational meetings, hosting a wide range of subject matter experts. These meetings are designed to inform both Board members and staff on studies, research and other activities intended to better understand governmental investigations of possible Gulf War chemical warfare incidents and related Gulf War health issues.

The Board actively solicited the participation of veterans� organizations in its activities and ensured that the VSO�s have been invited observers to the Board�s review sessions. Although the Board has not been required to announce these meetings in the Federal Register (no quorum being present), outside observers have been invited to most of these sessions. The Board process has been one of openness. In accordance with FACA, the Board made no decisions during these meetings.

The Board met with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs; visited the Walter Reed Army Hospital Gulf War Health Center Specialized Care Program; reviewed DoD�s Comprehensive Clinical Evaluation Program; received briefings from the Department of Veterans Affairs; received an overview presentation of the Persian Gulf Veterans Coordinating Board Research Working Group; and received a briefing from the Joint Staff (J-4) on force health protection.

Representatives from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and National Gulf War Resource Center were invited to present concerns to Board members Mr. Dan Fahey, National Gulf War Resource Center and author of a non-peer reviewed report on DU, was invited to summarize his views for Board members; Board and staff members traveled to Fort Detrick, Maryland, for presentations by CHPPM; and a Board member represented the Chairman at a White House interagency working group on Gulf War illnesses.

A Board member was briefed on the progress of the DoD toward electronic capture of information on individual service members in the "Personal Information Carrier." Following this meeting, Board member Zumwalt contacted the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Henry H. Shelton, urging that the military establish a task force to explore the integration of Global Positioning System and the PIC to record the battlefield location of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. This recommendation, based on the continuing difficulty in identifying individual (vs. by unit, UIC) personnel movements in a theater of operations, was forwarded to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence

Update on Rand Research Activities related to Stress and the Rand Literature Review Process.

Updates from the Joint Staff on Deployment Health Surveillance and Readiness, OSD Health Affairs update on illnesses among Gulf War veterans, update on CHPPM DU studies

A general update on case narrative status was given by OSAGWI, followed by an overview of the Preliminary Analysis Team and how the case identification process is implemented by OSAGWI.

The Board received an overview presentation on DoD Efforts to Address Potential Hazards from Exposure to Low Levels of Chemical Warfare Agents from the Office of the Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Chemical and Biological Defense.

OSAGWI updated the Board on its Lessons Learned Directorate, representatives from the Canadian and British Armed Forces updated Board members on each country�s efforts at investigative activity on Gulf War illnesses, and the Board monitored OSAGWI�s town hall meeting and unit briefings during the latter�s installation visit to Fort Stewart, GA.

The Board held a special session and received a presentation from Dr. Robert Haley of the University of Texas, Department of Internal Medicine, on his medical research and findings as related to Gulf War veterans and a neurotoxic brain injury hypothesis. The Board invited scientific experts from Johns Hopkins University and various governmental agencies (VA, DoD, DHHS) to the presentation, and several recommendations were offered by those scientific experts. The Board�s interest was in the findings of the research and the relationship of those findings to ongoing DoD research into Gulf War illnesses. Although the research findings are not published, they offered no corroborated evidence to support the unraveling of the Gulf War illness issue. The scientists present did recommend independent research to replicate the findings presented and lend support to the as yet unproven hypotheses. Many uncertainties and assumptions accompany this research, and its theories have yet to be proven. As the Board�s charter prohibits the conduct of scientific research, the Board took no action as a result of this presentation.

The Board received detailed briefings from the Joint Staff and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs on DoD�s Health Operations Policy and it Force Health Protection Program; met with a former director of the Defense Nuclear Agency; observed a meeting of the PGVCB Clinical Working Group; attended two VSO conventions.

The Board observed a public hearing conducted by the Institute of Medicine regarding potential environmental exposure causality during the Gulf War; attended two VSO conventions.

The Board received briefings from the PGVCB, DoD and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on four PAC recommendations: risk communications program; DoD�s implementation of previous PAC clinical and medical recommendations; waiver of informed consent; and the evaluation of policies and practices concerning the use of investigational products during deployments. The Board also attended a meeting of the PGVCB Clinical Working Group; monitored a meeting of the Persian Gulf Veterans Coordinating Board; and observed a House Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing. Dr. Melissa McDiarmid briefed Board representatives on the VA�s long-term monitoring of Gulf War veterans with documented DU exposures resulting from friendly fire incidents.

Board representatives received updates on the VA Health Registry and the DoD Comprehensive Clinical Evaluation Program; attended a House Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing; observed a meeting of the Institute for Medicine panel studying Gulf War illnesses; monitored OSAGWI�s town hall meeting and unit briefings during the latter�s installation visit to Fort Benning, GA.

The Joint Staff briefed the Board on the 30-day deployment definition and serum sample repository, two key components of the Force Health Protection Program. OSAGWI met with the Board to explain its application of an objective standard in investigating chemical warfare incidents as recommended by the PAC in its Special Report.

The Board received a briefing from the Department of Veterans Affairs regarding its response to two PAC recommendations regarding clinical and medical issues as well as the establishment of a permanent statutory program for Gulf War veterans� illnesses. The program manager for the Personal Information Carrier (PIC) updated the Board on the program and why cost and redesign requirements will not permit the addition of a location tracking capability. The Board also attended a House Committee on Government Reform hearing.

Dr. Asaf Durakovic, a private physician with interests in DU and Gulf War illnesses, met with the Board to discuss the methodologies used in his testing of Gulf War veterans for potential DU exposures. Due to privacy considerations, Dr. Durakovic would not discuss any of his data.

The Board received a briefing from the Mitre Corporation regarding its classified report on US intelligence on Iraqi chemical and biological warfare capabilities. The Board reaffirmed its Interim Report recommendation advising the Secretary of Defense to issue the Mitre Report in an unclassified form.

The Board made a presentation at a Military Service Organization national convention.

The Board observed an OSAGWI town hall meeting and unit briefings during the latter�s installation visit to Fort Lewis, WA.

The Board attended a VSO national convention; observed an Institute of Medicine hearing regarding Gulf War illnesses.

The Board attended two VSO national conventions; observed an Institute of Medicine hearing regarding Gulf War illnesses; attended the first plenary session of the Military and Veterans Health Coordinating Board.

The Board observed an OSAGWI town hall meeting and unit briefings during the latter�s tri-service installation visit to Oahu, HI.