United States Army Medical Unit

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Defunct US army medical research unit

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The United States Army Medical Unit (1956–1969) – a now defunct medical research unit for biodefense – was at Fort Detrick, Maryland, US. In contrast to the U.S. Army Biological Warfare Laboratories (1943–1969), also at Fort Detrick, the USAMU's mission was purely to develop defensive measures against bio-agents, as opposed to weapons development. The USAMU was the predecessor to today's USAMRIID.

## History

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The U.S. Army Medical Unit (USAMU or AMU) was originally established on 20 June 1956 as a separate Class II activity under the jurisdiction of Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC). The first USAMU commander was Col. William D. Tigertt. One of the USAMU's first responsibilities was to oversee all aspects of Project CD-22, the exposure of volunteers to aerosols containing a highly pathogenic strain of Coxiella burnetii, the causal agent of Q fever. One pre-existing research project, Operation Whitecoat (1954–1973), outlasted the USAMU. (It was a medical research program using volunteer enlisted personnel – all conscientious objectors.) General Order 9, dated 29 September 1958, Office of The Surgeon General, assigned the USAMU to Headquarters, U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC). In 1961, Col. Dan Crozier assumed command of the USAMU. Modern principles of biosafety and biocontainment were pioneered at Fort Detrick throughout the 1960s by a number of scientists led by Arnold G. Wedum. General Order No. 6, dated 27 January 1969, Office of The Surgeon General, redesignated the USAMU as the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) still assigned to USAMRDC.

## See also

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* United States biological defense program
* List of former United States Army medical units

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United States biological defense program

Organizations|

| Federal
administrative|

| DHS|

* DHS Chemical and Biological Defense Division
* DHS Office of Health Affairs (National Biosurvelliance Integration Center, BioWatch)
* National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center
* National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility
* National Bioforensic Analysis Center

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DNI|

* National Counterproliferation Center (Advisory Committee on Bioterrorism)

DHHS|

* Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
* Division of Select Agents and Toxins (CDC)
* National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity

DoD|

* Assistant SECDEF for NCB Defense Programs
* Defense Threat Reduction Agency
* Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System
* Joint Program Executive Office of Chemical and Biological Defense (JPEO-CBD)
* National Center for Medical Intelligence

Federal
research|

| Trans-
departmental|

* National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research (National Interagency Biodefense Campus, Fort Detrick)
* Integrated National Biodefense Medical Countermeasures Portfolio (DHHS/DoD)

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Military|

* U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases
* Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
* Edgewood Chemical Biological Center
* Dugway Proving Ground

Civilian|

* Galveston National Laboratory (UTMB/NIAID)
* Integrated Research Facility (HHS/NIAID)
* Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (HHS)
* Homeland Security Research Program (EPA/DHS)
* Plum Island Animal Disease Center (USDA)
* Foreign Disease Weed Science Research Unit (USDA)

Response|

| Local|

* Local Health Departments

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State|

* State Health Departments
* Nebraska Biocontainment Patient Care Unit

Federal|

* National Medical Response Team/National Pharmacy Response Team (NDMS, HHS)
* Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (USMC)
* Epidemic Intelligence Service (CDC)
* Aeromedical Biological Containment System (CDC)
* Bioterror Rapid Response and Advanced Technology Laboratory (CDC)

Non-
governmental|

| Academic centers
and think tanks|

* Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security (formerly Center for Biosecurity)
* Henry L. Stimson Center
* Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment
* Center for Biodefense and Emerging Pathogens (Brown University)
* Middle-Atlantic Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research
* Center for Biodefense Immune Modeling (University of Rochester)
* Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies
* National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases (NCBID; George Mason Univ.)

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Government
contractors|

* Battelle Memorial Institute
* SRI International
* Idaho Technology
* Phoenix Air

Programs
and projects|

| Threat reduction|

* Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, implemented the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and Biological Threat Reduction (DoD) plus
* Project Bacchus
* Project Clear Vision
* Project Jefferson

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Biosurveillance|

* National Biosurveillance Strategy
* Laboratory Response Network (CDC)
* BioWatch (EPA, CDC)
* Global Bio-Surveillance Technology Initiative (GBTI), Bio-Surveillance Management Office (BMO) (part of JPEO-CBD)
* ESSENCE (DoD)
* RODS (Civilian)

Biosecurity/Biosurety|

* Select Agent Program (CDC)
* Personnel Reliability Program (DoD)

Medical intelligence|

* National Intelligence Assessments on Infectious Diseases

Disaster response|

* National Response Framework of the National Strategy for Homeland Security (DHS; including NIMS and ICS)
* National Disaster Medical System (DHHS)
* Strategic National Stockpile (CDC, DHS)

Technology
and equipment|

| Protection|

* MOPP
* NBC suit
* Respirators

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Detection|

* Cell CANARY
* Biological Materials MASINT
* Autonomous Pathogen Detection System
* Joint Biological Agent Identification and Diagnostic System (JBAIDS)

Biocontainment|

* Biosafety level
* Biosafety cabinet
* Positive pressure personnel suit

Law|

| Treaties|

* Geneva Protocol (1925, 1975)
* Statement on Chemical and Biological Defense Policies and Programs (1969)
* Biological Weapons Convention (1972)

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Legislation|

* Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989
* Soviet Nuclear Threat Reduction Act of 1991
* Executive Order 13139 (1999)
* Patriot Act (2001)
* Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness Response Act (2002)
* Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002
* Project Bioshield Act (2004)
* Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2005
* Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (2005)
* Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (2006)
* Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013

International
representation|

* Global Health Security Initiative
* Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction
* United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004)

History|

| Past biological
incidents|

* 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack
* 1989 California medfly attack
* 2001 anthrax attacks
* Wood Green ricin plot (2002)
* 2003 ricin letters
* 2013 ricin letters

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Defunct organizations
and programs|

* United States Army Medical Unit
* United States biological weapons program
* Sunshine Project
* Aeromedical Isolation Team (DoD)

Related topics|

* Agro-terrorism
* Biodefense
* Biosecurity in the United States
* Biological agent
* Biological hazard
* Biological warfare (BW)
* Biosurveillance
* Bioterrorism
* CBRN defense
* Decontamination
* Entomological warfare
* Isolation (health care)
* Select agent
* Smallpox virus retention debate

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