Effects of Chemical Protective Clothing on Military Performance: A Review of the Issues

Abstract

This review in this special issue of Military Psychology on the effects of chemical protective clothing (CPC) on military performance provides a historical perspective on continued anxieties over likely use of battlefield chemical–biological weapons and summarizes significant concerns of military personnel wearing CPC in training and combat. This review describes psychophysiological stresses such protective ensembles have on personnel and how these affect military performance, and it summarizes major military psychological research programs on the effects of wearing CPC. This article reviews what is known about wearing CPC, describes future CPC developments, and identifies domains for improved military training with CPC.