Mortuary Affairs: Are We Prepared to Meet the Challenge?.

Mortuary Affairs includes the search for, recovery, identification and disposition of remains of persons for whom the military services are responsible by statutes and executive orders. It is a physically, emotionally and psychologically demanding mission. In addition to these inherent challenges, mortuary affairs involves several others that warrant careful analysis and immediate corrective action. One such challenge is the decontamination of remains. This paper looks at this extremely difficult, sensitive and critical mission. It begins with a discussion of the threat, both on the battlefield and within our Nations borders, that underscores the need for an improved mortuary affairs capability. Policies, directives, programs and plans are discussed that briefly outline Federal and State efforts to improve response capabilities to threats, to include the employment of Army mortuary affairs units in support of civil emergencies. An overview of Department of Defense mortuary affairs policydoctrine is provided. It is followed by a more in-depth review of the Armys current mortuary affairs remains decontamination capability that focuses on force structure, training and equipment issues. Shortcomings are identified which strongly support the argument that the Army must now put renewed emphasis on mortuary affairs, especially its capability to process contaminated remains.