Development of a Basis for a Hazardous Materials and Waste Management System for Air Force Contingency Deployments

Increased awareness of the potential for adverse mission impact on deployments, recent experience on such deployments, and Air Force and Major Command interest establish the need for an integrated hazardous materials and waste management system for contingency environments. This research was focused toward establishing a basis for developing such a system. An intensive literature review was accomplished to justify the necessity of the research, characterize the contingency environment, review legal and regulatory requirements, review proper hazardous substance handling and processing procedures, and review existing and new material resources which may be employed in such a system. Further literature review led to the development of a rigorous design methodology for producing such a basis. Employment of the methodology in characterizing the problem, generating and screening alternatives, and grouping of surviving alternatives led to the establishment of a basis for future specification of a hazardous materials and waste management system for contingency deployments. A final recommendation to the Air Force was made which included the coordinated adoption of the management system by Air Staff representatives of the various functional components of a deploying wing. The staffing support of these functions at the Air Staff, Major Command, and support agency level could then take the recommended practical implementation measures, which were generated from the management system basis