Joint Chemical Agent Detector (JCAD): The Future of Chemical Agent Detection

The Joint Chemical Agent Detector (JCAD) will provide state of the art chemical warfare agent detection capability to ground vehicle operators. Intelligence sources estimate that over twenty countries have active chemical weapons programs. The spread of chemical weapons (and the industrial capability for manufacture) to third world nations, coupled with the potential for U.S. involvement in these areas in an operational or support capacity, increases the probability that the Joint Services may encounter chemical agents and toxic industrial materials anywhere in the world. Currently, fielded chemical agent detectors are bulky, labor intensive, and subject to false readings. No legacy detector is sensitive enough to provide detection and warning of the low dose hazards associated with miosis contamination.