Postwar Education and Training in Military chemistry L. F. AbiDRIETH1 Picatinny Arsenal, Dover, N e ~ cJersey
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E HAVE certainly not emerged from World War 11, as we did in 1918, with the universal feeling that the present conflict was fought to end all wars and that we shall henceforth live in a Utopian world where men and nations will forever after live in peace and harmony. The veterans of World War I1 will see to it that we as a nation shall not permit ourselves to be lulled into a feeling of false security. They will insist that we can assure ourselves of such national security as the future may hold in store for us only by guarding vigilantly and jealously our hard-won right to existence. The ten million or more members of the armed forces of these United States will realize that this has been a war of survival, and tliese men and women will come back to their peacetime pursuits and endeavors not with the feeling that "It can't happen here" or "It can't happen again," but with a grim determination that when the inevitable conflicts of the future do happen again, we shall be prepared to meet any eventuality. We may anticipate many changes in our attitude toward military training and national defense after this war. It is possible that from now on all physically qualified men will be required to devote a certain period of time to military training. Opinion is divided among educators as to the desirability of such a policy, for there is no question but that it will profoundly affect our educational practices and our undergraduate and graduate curricula. The adoption of +military training program would imply conformance on the part of educational institutions both with the letter and the spirit of its provisions, so that the ultimate objectives of such a national policy could be attained. No one will deny that this war, more than any conflict in the past, has been a technical war. Scientists and engineers have been called upon to devise, develop, and design the instrnments of warfare: industry has been required to produce these not only in quantity, but also of highest quality. Organizations, such as the Office of Scientific Research and Development, have more than justified their existence not only because of their contributions to the war effort but also because they served to mobilize the scientific and technical manpower of the nation. Activities of this sort should be continued as a matter of national policy so that the latest advances of science and of engineering practice will be brought immediately to the attention
of the Services by scientists and engineers who know the needs of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Corps. Colleges and universities have placed their facilities a t the disposal of the nation during the war and cooperated with the armed forces in vocational and educational training programs. Is it asking too much to expect our educational institutions to assume active leadership in facilitating postwar education, training, and research in those technical fields which have contributed so much in the present conflict, especially if a vigorousnational defense policy is established? It is not my purpose to develop here a detailed program for postwar education and training and for research and development in the military arts. The proposals submitted herewith are more limited in that consideration is given only to military chemistryspecifically, to a program which deals with the education and training of chemists and chemical engineers in those phases of their profession which apply to the art of war, where they alone can be of greatest service to their country.
Military chemistry is that branch of chemistry which deals with the application of chemical facts and theories to the art of warfare. It represents not only a highly specialized borderline field, but also a highly diversified branch of chemistry, whose objective is to apply the contributions of chemistry to one of 'the oldest professions of mankind, that of soldiery. Specifically, military chemistry deals with:
(a) propellants, and components of . . explosives, . . .
ammunition; (b) pyrotechnic items, smokes, and incendiaries; icl ~, chemical aeents em~lovedfor their harassine or lethal ei?ects in &Are; (d) the application of chemical principles under tactical conditions; and ( e ) the research, development, and production of the materials broadly specified under ( a ) , (b), and ( 6 ) . It should be emphasized that military chemistry as defined above has not been recognized as a special branch of chemistry. In the narrower sense chemists who have concerned themselves with explosives have been designated as "ex~losiveschemists." but most individualsuso labeled have been interested in the field On military leave from the University of Illinois, Urbana, of commercial explosives and employed by industrial Illinois. 583
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While the emphasis in such a course should be placed upon the chemical aspects of the subject matter, it should be borne in mind that the objective is their military application. Such a course would normally be included in the junior or senior year. THE NECESSITY AND DESIRABILITY FOR TRAINING IN The question of competent instructors need not be MnITARY CHEMISTRY considered a serious one. Many academicians will Total war, as we have leanled to know it, demands have had considerable experience in the field of military the complete mobilization of all our resources. This chemistry and will have become sufficiently interested applies not only to our manpower and natural resources, in the subject matter to teach it. A considerable to our production capacity and manufacturing facili- amount of literature has been developed on the subties, but also to the entire scientific and engineering ject during the war, and more will become available skill of the nation. This tremendous task would have for use as source material later. It may further be been much easier a t the beginning if our scientists and anticipated that the armed services will cooperate engineers had been more familiar with the military re- wholeheartedly in educational projects of this kind. Reserve officer training deserves special attention. quirements of the armed services. It would have been facilitated in the chemical field had more of our chem- Technically trained officers are needed and have their ists and chemical engine& been acquainted with place both in peace and in war. Assuming that rethose products and processes so necessary for the pro- serve officer training (R.O.T.C.) will be continued, at duction of explosives, propellants, pyrotechnic items, least at land grant colleges, completion of which will and the like. Even so, we did have almost two years lead to commissions in the O.R.C., i t should become to prepare for the inevitable before the attack on Pearl an accepted policy to route students majoring in Harbor. That did give us an opportunity to bring chemistry or chemical engineering, and enrolled for our house in order, even though the process was a advanced military training, either into the Ordnance or into Chemical Warfare Service. In these two hectic one! It will be to the everlasting credit of the small group branches of the service technically trained officers are of "explosives chemists" working in a relatively f e w most needed and here the chemists' civilian pursuits industrial laboratories and a t government arsenals are most apt to be continued in army life. Reserve that research, development, and production of military officers who have had the basic technical and military chemicals was kept alive between 1920 and 1940. training should be given the opportunity to extend Subsequently, it was this same group of men who their interests by assignments for periods of activk carried the responsibility not only for bringing produc- duty to positions of technical responsibility, rather tion up to wartime levels, but for training additional than assignments of a purely administrative character. technical personnel so that wartime requirements It is to be hopea that snch assignments will take adcould be met. Competent instructors were few, and vantage of the civilian interests and professional acthe period of instruction, because of the urgency of the tivities of each individual, for only then can the Servdemand for workers, was limited to the barest minimum ices be assured that snch a program mll give the denecessary to give them the "know how" and to speed sired end results. them on to the production front. 'Even'so, a magnifiWHAT IS TO BE GAINED BY SUCH A PLAN? cent job was done by that handful of experienced men It is recognized that a formal course in military who were asked to assume instructional duties in addichemistry is hardly sufficient to insure a thoroughly tion to their other obligations. competent group of specialists in this field. It will be WHERE AND HOW SHOULD INSTRUCTION IN MILITARY necessary to encourage more intensive training for CHEMISTRY BE OYFERED? the especially qualified chemist or chemical engineer, If training in military chemistry is to be undertaken, so that we will have available a group of investigators, it will naturally have to be included along with ac- of research workers, of development and process engicepted course offerings in the curricula of chemistry neers who, during the coming years, will keep their and chemical engineering. A proper introduction to eyes and ears open, their imaginations alert to applicamilitary chemistry as a phase of academic professional tions of new discoveries to the military arts. Not the least of the advantages to be gained by such training will facilitate the further extension of such a program for the purpose of developing and maintaining a plan is that men of ability, vision, and imagination an interested group of specially qualified civilians (and will be attracted to military chemistry as a worthy reserve officers) dedicated to the advancement of the field of specialization. We need men a t the Pentagon and a t our arsenals who are pre-eminent in their proa r t of military chemistry. Chemists, chemical engineers, and science students fessionswho will bring with them as civilian employees with majors in chemistry should get a general perspec- of the War Department the necessary scientific ability, tive of the applications of chemical science to the art creative genius, and imagination to keep us ahead oi of warfare. Such a course should presuppose training the rest of the world in utilizing the advances of chemiin general, analytical, organic, and phvsical chemistry. cal science for the defenseof this country. concerns. The field of military chen~istryis much broader since it encompasses a factual and theoretical background which goes far beyond that neeaed for the peacetime manufacture and use of explosives.
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The Services will then have available both civilians and officers who will be ready to take over responsibility for production of explosives, propellants, incendiaries, smokes, and chemical agents in government arsenals, in government owned privately operated establishments, or. in private industry. Particularly
qualified investigators will also be available to supplement the research activities of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Corps, and will be able to carry out such investigational work more efficiently since they will from the very start recognize the militaryrequirements. limitations, and objectives of such endeavors.
