Crisis over biological warfare suits

American troops face going into battle in Iraq in defective biological warfare suits - and even those are already in short supply.

The suits sometimes leak because of faulty air filters, according to a new US government report. Some units had been issued with suits all in one size or with no gloves, and at least 250,000 suits cannot be traced. Declassified information-from the Pentagon inspector-general's office also notes: "Some units had limited training or did not train at all."

Army chiefs have been concerned at the ability to protect troops from biological and chemical weapons since the first Gulf War in 1991. Units were sent into battle in Kuwait without chemical detectors or enough suits to go around.

Afterwards it was revealed that Saddam Hussein had chemical weapons deployed and biological weapons loaded into missiles. Iraqi commanders who surrendered told their captors one reason the weapons were not used was because they believed the US was well prepared. Since then, the army has replaced its suits with new versions that are 60 per cent lighter and can be cleaned up to three times.

Christopher Shays, a congressman who is pushing the Pentagon to improve its measures, said: "The defence department doesn't always know how many chem-bio defence items are available, where they are or when they will get them to the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who need them."