Defense Science Institute for Protective Technologies - NBC Protection

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Defense Science Institute for Protective Technologies - NBC Protection
- WIS -
Defense Science Institute for Protective Technologies - NBC Protection - WIS -
emblem
Category: Departmental research facility
Carrier: Federal ministry of defense
Seat of the wearer: Bonn , North Rhine-Westphalia
Facility location: Muenster
Type of research: NBC defense
Subjects: Biology, chemistry, physics, process engineering, electrical engineering
Areas of expertise: Effect of biological, chemical or nuclear weapons of mass destruction; Effect of electromagnetic radiation; Fire protection
Management: Director and Professor Winfried Schuhn
Employee: approx. 220
Annotation: € 35.4 million financial year 2005
Homepage: WIS

The Defense Science Institute for Protective Technologies - NBC Protection ( WIS ), formerly the Defense Science Service of the Federal Armed Forces for NBC protection , and before that Test Center 53 of the Federal Armed Forces , is based in Munster in Lower Saxony . In addition to the Defense Science Institute for Materials and Operating Materials (WIWeB) in Erding b. Munich and the scientific component of the Defense Technology Service for Ships and Naval Weapons, Maritime Technology and Research (WTD 71) one of three departmental research institutions of the Federal Ministry of Defense . It belongs to the organization area Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the Bundeswehr (AIN). The institute is the only major institution in Germany that deals with the protection (of people, materials, devices and systems) from nuclear, biological or chemical weapons of mass destruction .

The aim of the activities of the WIS is: "The effective protection of the German armed forces against nuclear, biological or chemical hazards by providing modern protection technologies including the assessment of their performance limits ." NBC protection of the population is not the task of the WIS, even if within the framework of the global fight against terrorism, contacts with civil defense institutions are becoming ever closer.

history

In 1916, with the beginning of the use of chemical weapons in World War I , a testing and production facility for gas ammunition was set up for the first time in Munster on 6500 hectares ("Gasplatz Breloh"), in which around 6000 people were employed. About a quarter of the poison gas required by both the German and allied armies was produced there.

After the end of the war it was planned to sink any remaining warfare agents and ammunition into the sea. In October 1919, however, a loaded freight train exploded on the site. The warfare ammunition flying around destroyed the facility and considerable amounts of poison contaminated the area. Until 1925 the area was only superficially cleared.

In the Third Reich , from 1935, the area was expanded to 10,000 hectares, new production and test facilities for chemical warfare agents were built and the Munster-Nord Army Research Center of the Army Weapons Office was set up. The Wehrmacht tested new weapons there.

After the Second World War , the facilities were dismantled under the British occupation and most of the buildings were blown up. To this day, however, the so-called red area has been preserved , where contaminated warfare agents are still found today .

On February 1, 1958, the test site of the German armed forces for NBC protection Munster / Lager was set up on part of the area . In 1962 it was renamed to Test Center 53 of the Bundeswehr and the Federal Office for Defense Technology and Procurement (BWB). According to their own information, their tasks were initially trials and quality checks, later the focus shifted to application-related basic studies. On June 1, 1975, the facility was renamed again to the Defense Science Service of the Bundeswehr for NBC protection .

In 1995, the area of ​​responsibility was reorganized and expanded; tasks from the Federal Ministry of Defense and the Federal Office for Defense Technology and Procurement were transferred to the defense technology and defense science departments. Accordingly, the name was changed again to the current name.

Around 210 civilian employees work in the WIS today. Warfare agents were allegedly never produced there, even though "real" warfare agents have to be used for research and development. It is alleged that the former testing site had, for example, nitrogen mustard delivered from the “ Stoltzenberg Chemical Factory ” at the end of the 1960s / beginning of the 1970s .

Almost all activities of the WIS are open; work results are classified as classified information only in cases where this is necessary for reasons of the state's welfare . For example, the specialist information center (library) of the WIS is also accessible via interlibrary loan. Schoolchildren and students also have access to the specialist information point.

Today's structure and areas of responsibility

The head of the WIS has the official title of " Director and Professor ". Winfried Schuhn has been head of the WIS since August 2011. The WIS is divided into a staff unit, three operational business areas, a technical-operational and an economic-administrative service area.

The WIS has numerous biological, chemical and physical laboratories, technical facilities and large-scale test facilities with state-of-the-art equipment. The institute is certified in accordance with DIN EN ISO 17025 , the central analytical laboratory and the North Hazardous Substances Measurement Center are accredited . The WIS Central Chemical Laboratory is one of 22 recognized test laboratories of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons ( OPCW ), which monitors compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention . The central biological laboratory is a security level 3 laboratory, which means that some real biological warfare agents can be handled there.

The three operational business areas are:

The WIS provides support with all questions relating to environmental protection , radiation protection and occupational safety in the Bundeswehr.

The spectrum of examinations includes, for example:

  • analytical evidence of warfare agents
  • Retention properties of protective filters in vehicles and buildings
  • the behavior of complete weapon systems in relation to the effective components of nuclear weapons

According to its own information, it works with partners, i.e. other German institutions, domestic and foreign defense technology companies, as well as other countries (for example via the German Liaison Office for the Armaments Department USA / Canada (DtVStRü USA / Ka) in Reston , Virginia ). Work for external clients is also carried out.

In accordance with the “Bundeswehr Concept”, the Federal Government's departments carry out their own research activities in areas where recognized needs cannot be met by purchase; That is why the WIS is also a member of the working group of departmental research institutions . A corresponding share of the budget funds available to the WIS is spent on research.

The interdisciplinary or research projects in which WIS is active include, according to its own information, for example:

  • "Combined air and ground detection system for LLR tasks",
  • "Establishment of the Federal Central Support Group for Serious Cases of Nuclear Aftercare (ZUB)"
  • "Detection of B-warfare agent clouds by the UV-APS (UltraViolet Aerodynamic Particle Sizer)",
  • "High-Power-Microwave-Simulator",
  • "Use of reactive nano-particles for decontamination",
  • "Microemulsions as a stable basis for decontamination agents".

Technical projects include a. Development and testing

  • of the "TEP 90" (this abbreviation stands for "Troop de-radiation, disinfection, detoxification-Platz90"; the largest project of the NBC defense force),
  • the NBC protective mask 2000,
  • the partially permeable NBC protective glove for the infantrymen of the future (IdZ),
  • of the new ABC poncho,
  • of the new decontamination facilities for light, air-transferable forces

In the first half of 2006, at the request of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) , the WIS was examined in detail by the Science Council , the most important scientific policy advisory body in Germany. In its statement, the Science Council praised the scientific qualifications and working methods of the WIS. However, the Science Council also emphasizes that the current scope of research at the WIS is insufficient and recommends the creation of free space for innovative research projects, better networking with civil research, higher scientific visibility through participation in specialist conferences and publications in recognized specialist journals and the Acquisition of third-party research funds. The establishment of a scientific advisory board was also suggested; this suggestion has now been implemented.

See also

Further defense scientific and defense technical facilities of the Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the Federal Armed Forces are

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://www.deutschland-kann-das.de/Webs/Breg/DE/Themen/Forschung/ressort/WIS/_node.html
  2. ↑ Homepage of the WIS Portrait of the WIS. Accessed March 10, 2012.
  3. ^ Wissenschaftsrat (Germany) Statement on the Defense Science Institute for Protective Technologies - NBC Protection (WIS), January 26, 2007, Drs. 7699-07, p. 6. Accessed March 10, 2012.
  4. ^ Günther W. Gellermann: The war that did not take place. Possibilities, considerations and decisions of the German supreme leadership regarding the use of chemical warfare agents in the Second World War. Koblenz: Bernard and Graefe 1986, ISBN 3-7637-5804-6 .
  5. ^ Günter Wallraff: 13 undesirable reports , Rowohlt Verlag, Hamburg 1975, ISBN 3-499-16889-8 .
  6. ↑ Appendix I Federal Pay Regulations A and B, I. General Preliminary Remarks No. 2
  7. ↑ Wissenschaftsrat: Statement on the Defense Science Institute for Protective Technologies - NBC Protection (WIS), Munster, January 2007 (Drs. 7699-07): http://www.wissenschaftsrat.de/download/archiv/7699-07.pdf

Coordinates: 53 ° 0 ′ 0 ″  N , 10 ° 8 ′ 24 ″  E