Fort Detrick
Fort Detrick | |
---|---|
Frederick, Maryland, U.S. | |
Location of Fort Detrick in Maryland | |
Type | Military installation |
Site information | |
Controlled by | United States Army |
Site history | |
Built | 1931 |
In use | 1931–present |
Fort Detrick (/ˈdiːtrɪk/) is a United States Army Futures Command installation located in Frederick, Maryland. Fort Detrick was the center of the U.S. biological weapons program from 1943 to 1969. Since the discontinuation of that program, it has hosted most elements of the United States biological defense program.[1]
As of the early 2010s, Fort Detrick's 1,200-acre (490 ha) campus supports a multi-governmental community that conducts biomedical research and development, medical materiel management, global medical communications and the study of foreign plant pathogens. The lab is known to research pathogens such as Ebola and smallpox.[2]
Fort Detrick US Army facility is home to the
In August 2019, its deadly germ research operations were shut down following serious safety violations, in particular relating to the disposal of dangerous materials.[5][6]
Fort Detrick is the largest employer in Frederick County, Maryland.
History
Five farms originally constituted what is today known as "Area A" with 800 acres (320 ha), or the main post area of Fort Detrick, where most installation activities are located. "Area B" – known as "The Farm" and consisting of nearly 400 acres (160 ha) – was purchased in 1946 to provide a test area west of Rosemont Avenue, then called Yellow Springs Pike. In addition, the post's water and waste water treatment plants comprise about 16 acres (6.5 ha) on the banks of the Monocacy River.
Detrick Field (1931–43)
Fort Detrick traces its roots to a small municipal airport established at Frederick, Maryland, in 1929. It was operated by a single person and the field was one of a string of
A
Camp Detrick (1943–56)
On 9 March 1943, the government purchased 154 acres (62 ha) encompassing the original 92 acres (37 ha) and re-christened the facility "Camp Detrick".
World War II and BW research (1943–45)
During World War II, Camp Detrick and the USBWL became the site of intensive
The Army's
After the defeat of Japan, the researchers working at Unit 731 were given immunity from prosecution. In return, director Shirō Ishii provided "8,000 slides of tissue from human and animal dissections" from the experiments, which were reportedly stored at Fort Detrick.[14]
Post-war years (1946–55)
The elaborate security precautions taken at Camp Detrick were so effective that it was not until January 1946, four months after
In 1952, the Army purchased over 500 acres (200 ha) more of land located between West 7th Street and Oppossumtown Pike to expand the permanent research and development facilities.
Two workers at the base died from exposure to anthrax in the 1950s. Another died in 1964 from viral encephalitis.[16]
There was a building on the base, Building 470, locally referred to as "Anthrax Tower". Building 470 was a pilot plant for testing optimal fermentor and bacterial purification technologies. The information gained in this pilot plant shaped the fermentor technology that was ultimately used by the pharmaceutical industry to revolutionize the production of antibiotics and other drugs. Building 470 was torn down in 2003 without any adverse effects on the demolition workers or the environment. The facility acquired the nickname "Fort Doom" while offensive biological warfare research was undertaken there. 5,000 bombs containing anthrax spores were produced at the base during World War II.[16]
From 1945 to 1955 under
Testing performed on Seventh-day Adventists, 1940–1974
The U.S. General Accounting Office issued a report on September 28, 1994, which stated that between 1940 and 1974, DOD and other national security agencies studied hundreds of thousands of human subjects in tests and experiments involving hazardous substances.
The quote from the study:
Many experiments that tested various biological agents on human subjects, referred to as Operation Whitecoat, were carried out at Fort Detrick, Maryland, in the 1950s. The human subjects originally consisted of volunteer enlisted men. However, after the enlisted men staged a sitdown strike to obtain more information about the dangers of the biological tests, Seventh-day Adventists (SDAs) who were conscientious objectors were recruited for the studies.[18]
The Army purchased an additional 147 acres (59 ha) in 1946 to increase the size of the original "Area A" as well as 398 acres (161 ha) located west of Area A, but not contiguous to it, to provide a test area known as Area B.[19] In 1952, another 502.76 acres (203.5 ha) were purchased between West 7th Street and Oppossumtown Pike to expand the permanent research and development facilities.[20]
Jeffrey Alan Lockwood wrote in 2009 that the biological warfare program at Ft. Detrick began to research the use of insects as disease vectors going back to World War II and also employed German and
Fort Detrick (1956–present)
Cold War years (1956–89)
Camp Detrick was designated a permanent installation for peacetime biological research and development shortly after World War II, but that status was not confirmed until 1956, when the post became Fort Detrick. Its mandate was to continue its previous mission of biomedical research and its role as the world's leading research campus for biological agents requiring specialty containment.
The most recent land acquisition for the fort was a parcel of less than 3 acres (1.2 ha) along the Rosemont Avenue fence in 1962, completing the present 1,200 acres (490 ha).
On Veterans Day, November 11, 1969, President
As he ended the offensive biological research done at Fort Detrick, Nixon pledged to make former laboratories and land available by the disestablishment of the offensive biological warfare program transferred to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services during the 1970s and later. The Frederick National Cancer Research and Development Center (now the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research) was established in 1971 on a 69-acre (28 ha) parcel in Area A ceded by the installation.[22]
In 1989 base researchers identified the Ebola virus in a monkey imported to the area from the Philippines.[16]
Post-Cold War (1990–present)
In 1990, Hazelton Research Products' Reston Quarantine Unit in Reston, Virginia suffered a mysterious outbreak of fatal illness among a shipment of crab-eating macaque monkeys imported from the Philippines. The company's veterinary pathologist sent tissue samples from dead animals to the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, where a laboratory test known as an ELISA assay showed antibodies to Ebola virus.
Thereafter, a team from USAMRIID euthanized the surviving monkeys, bringing the carcasses to Ft. Detrick for study by the veterinary pathologists and virologists, and eventual disposal under safe conditions. The Philippines and the United States had no previous cases of Ebola infection, and upon further study researchers concluded it was another strain of Ebola, or a new filovirus of Asian origin, which they named
In 2009, author H. P. Albarelli published the book A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA's Secret Cold War Experiments about Frank Olson's death and the experiments conducted at Fort Detrick. The book is based on documents released under FOIA and numerous other documents and interviews to the police and investigators.[24][25]
In the 1980s and 1990s, KGB disinformation agent Jakob Segal claimed that Fort Detrick was the site where the United States government "invented" HIV.[26]
USAMRIID had been the principal consultant to the FBI on scientific aspects of the
In June 2008 the Environmental Protection Agency said it planned to add the base to the Superfund list of the most polluted places in the country.[16] On 9 April 2009, "Fort Detrick Area B Ground Water" was added to the list which currently includes 18 other sites within Maryland.
The Forest Glen Annex of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Silver Spring, Maryland was transferred to the command of Fort Detrick in 2008 as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure process.[28]
As of 2008[update] about 7,900 people worked at Fort Detrick. The base has been the largest employer in Frederick County and contributed more than $500 million into the local economy annually.[29]
In 2020, a conspiracy theory regarding COVID-19 arose that alleged that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was developed by the United States Army at Fort Detrick.[30] This allegation has been promoted by Chinese government officials, most notably Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian, who has called for an inspection of the facility, although the allegation remains baseless.[31] A petition organized by the Chinese Communist Party-owned tabloid Global Times urging the WHO to investigate Fort Detrick for COVID origins reportedly amassed 25 million signatures.[32]
Environmental contamination
Fort Detrick Area B is a 399-acre proving ground and was a disposal area for chemical, biological, and radiological material until 1970. In 2009, it was listed as a
In 2012, the
In May 2014, a developer who had bought 92 acres near the Center for Biological Research sued the U.S. Army for negligence in its chemical disposal practices, which led to levels of TCE of up to 42 times the federal maximum contaminant level.[34] A U.S. attorney representing Fort Detrick argued in July 2014 that nonexistent EPA regulation at the time is an exception to the Federal Tort Claims Act and "protects the Army's waste disposal practices".[36] The $37 million lawsuit was dismissed in January 2015.[37]
After the Army denied claims of health problems in 106 Frederick families and individuals in February 2015, the residents filed a class action lawsuit, seeking $750 million for wrongful death and pain and suffering in August 2015.[37]
The installation's Restoration Advisory Board has released a report on some of the findings in relation to the spillage of waste. The public Fort Detrick website provided a copy of the archive from the meeting of an environmental committee.[38]
2019 closure and resumption of operations
During an inspection by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) BSL-3 and BSL-4 laboratories at Ft Detrick in June 2019, six violations including two breaches of containment were identified. The inspection was followed up by a letter of concern from the CDC on July 12, 2019 and then a cease and desist order on July 15, 2019.[39]
Following the cease and desist order from the CDC the USAMRIID laboratories at the base were shut down in August 2019. The announcement to resume operations on a "limited scale" was made on November 25, 2019.
The CDC cited “national security reasons” as the reason for not informing the public about its decision.[5] The two breaches reported to the CDC by USAMRIID staff demonstrated failures of biosafety level 3 and 4 protocols in the Army laboratory to "implement and maintain containment procedures sufficient to contain select agents or toxins".[39]
After approximately eight months of closure and restrictions, the USAMRIID BSL-4 lab had been authorized to resume full operational status by April 2020, to the applause of Maryland lawmakers including
Tenant units and organizations
Each branch of the U.S. military is represented among Fort Detrick's 7,800 military, federal and contractor employees. Four cabinet-level agencies are represented by activities on the garrison: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Defense. The offices and laboratories include the Agriculture Department's Foreign Disease and Weed Science Research Institute, the National Cancer Institute, the Naval Medical Logistics Command and the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center. Currently under construction is a biotechnology campus that will house civilian and military research centers including units of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), as well as USAMRIID.[29]
The following units and organizations (military and otherwise) are located on the Fort Detrick installation:
U.S. Department of Defense
- U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC)
- U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency (USAMMA)
- U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity (USAMMDA)
- U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA)
- U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID)[42]
- Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC Archived 2022-03-08 at the Wayback Machine)
- USAMRICD)
- 114th Signal Battalion
- 21st Signal Brigade
- 302nd Signal Battalion
- 6th Medical Logistics Management Center (6MLMC)
- Company A, 53rd Signal Battalion (SATCON)
- Air Force Medical Logistics Office (AFMLO)
- Air Force Medical Support Agency, Global Medical Support Training and Exercises (AFMSA/SGPX)
- National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI), formerly the Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center (AFMIC)
- Chemical Biological Medical Systems (CBMS), Joint Project Management Office
- Company B, Marine Forces Reserve
- Defense Contract Management Agency, DCMA Baltimore
- Detachment 1, 301st Signal Company (Cable & Wire)
- Joint Medical Logistics Functional Development Center (JMLFDC)
- Joint Readiness Clinical Advisory Board (JRCAB)
- Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care (MC4)
- Naval Medical Logistics Command (NMLC)
- Technology Applications Office (TAO)
- U.S. Army Information Systems Engineering Command, Fort Detrick Engineering Directorate
In addition, Fort Detrick is the support facility for the Raven Rock Mountain Complex.[43]
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- The National Cancer Institute campus at Frederick (NCI Frederick)[3]
- Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research
U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Foreign Disease Weed Science Research Unit
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- National Bioforensic Analysis Center (NBFAC)
- National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC)
On post historic sites
Fort Detrick has three sites (and four structures) on the National Register of Historic Places:
- The Nallin Farm House (circa 1835)
- The Nallin Farm Springhouse and Bank Barn (pre-1798)
- The One Million Liter Sphere, the "Eight Ball" (1947–48)
In addition, the following sites on the installation are of historic interest:
- A rocky knoll overlooking Frederick, and located near the Old Farm Gate (northwest gate) of Fort Detrick, was the site of historic structures. The Italianatewoodland and terraced garden. This property was sold in 1929 to Robert Bright who used it as a summerhouse until 1943. Three years later, the U.S. government bought it and it was used as the Fort Detrick post commander's residence until it too was demolished in 1977. Today, only retaining walls and some flagstone paths remain, but photos of both the Novitiate Academy building and Dr. Rau's mansion can be seen as part of interpretive signage at the site.
- Building 470, a pilot plant known as "Anthrax Tower" (1953; demolished in 2003)
See also
- Deseret Test Center
- Fort Terry
- Human experimentation in the United States
- MKNAOMI
- Operation Paperclip
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center
- Porton Down
- Kurt Blome
- William C. Patrick III, veteran bioweaponeer
- Erich Traub
- Allegations of biological warfare in the Korean War
- STARCOM (communications system), the East Coast Relay station at Fort Detrick
References
- ^ https://mrdc.amedd.army.mil/assets/docs/media/USAMRDC-Handbook.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "US army's weapons lab shut down after inspection finds deadly viruses could escape". The Independent. 2019-08-06. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
- ^ a b "Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research". Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research. National Cancer Institute, NIH, HHS. 2012-01-31. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
- ^ "National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research (NICBR)". Detrick.army.mil. 2012-05-31. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
- ^ DiGangi, Diana (2020-01-22). "Army germ lab shut down by CDC in 2019 had several 'serious' protocol violations that year". WJLA. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
- ^ Capt. Wayde Minami. "Fort Detrick Named for Maryland Flight Surgeon". 175wg.ang.af.mil. Archived from the original on 2012-03-12. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
- ^ "Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Maryland: Frederick area".
- ^ "Cutting Edge, The History of Fort Detrick, Chapter 3 Building an Installation". Archived from the original on 2013-10-05.
In 1943, the government purchased 154 acres encompassing the original 90 acres and established Camp Detrick, perpetuating the name, Detrick Field.
- ^ "Cutting Edge, The History of Fort Detrick, Chapter 4 Birth of Science". Archived from the original on 2014-04-04.
Lieutenant Colonel William S. Bacon, the first commander, and his successor, Colonel Martin B. Chittick, oversaw the renovation and construction first estimated to cost $1.25 million.
- ^ Covert, Norman M. (2000), "A History of Fort Detrick, Maryland", 4th Edition: 2000. Archived 2012-01-21 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Clendenin, Lt. Col. Richard M. (1968), Science and Technology at Fort Detrick, 1943–1968; Technical Information Division
- ^ Covert (2000), Op. cit.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
- ^ Clendenin (1968), Op. Cit.
- ^ Washington Post, August 2, 2008, Pg. 10.
- ^ Peter Knight, Conspiracy Theories in American History: An Encyclopedia, Volume One. ABC-CLIO, 2003.
- ^ Staff Report prepared for the committee on veterans' affairs December 8, 1994 John D. Rockefeller IV, West Virginia, Chairman at gulfweb.org Archived 2006-08-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Cutting Edge, The History of Fort Detrick, Chapter 3 Building an Installation". Archived from the original on 2013-10-05.
In September 1946, an additional 147 acres were purchased to increase the size of the original Area A location. At the same time 398 acres located west of Area A, but not contiguous to this area, were purchased to provide a test area. This parcel was located west of Rosemont Avenue, then Yellow Springs Pike, bordering Montevue Lane on the south, near the old Alms House, north by Kemp Lane and Rocky Springs Road and the Krantz family property along today's Shookstown Road. It was named Area B.
- ^ "Cutting Edge, The History of Fort Detrick, Chapter 3 Building an Installation". Archived from the original on 2013-10-05.
In 1952, the Army purchased 502.76 acres of land located between West 7th Street and Opossumtown Pike to expand the permanent research and development facilities.
- ^ Jeffrey Alan Lockwood, Six Legged Soldiers: Using Insects as Weapons of War. Oxford, 2009.
- ^ a b "History :: U.S. Army Fort Detrick". home.army.mil. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
- ISBN 978-0679437840.
- ^ "A Terrible Mistake:The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA's Secret Cold War Experiments" – by H. P. Albareeli Jr 2009 publisher by Trine Day LLC accessed August 14, 2010 at aterriblemistake.com Archived July 12, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Son probes strange death of WMD worker" – Scott Shane writing for The Baltimore Sun (September 12, 2004), accessed January 20, 2009 at sfgate.com
- ^ Johnson, I. (21 February 1992). "German scientist couple presses theory that AIDS was created at Fort Detrick". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ "Anthrax scientist commits suicide as FBI closes in". Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 5, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
- ^ "Fort Detrick 2010 Post Guide" (PDF). 2010. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ a b Wood, David, "Variety Of Research Carried Out At Fort Detrick", The Baltimore Sun, August 2, 2008.
- ^ Helen Davidson (20 January 2021). "China revives conspiracy theory of US army link to Covid". The Guardian.
- ^ Ang, Katerina; Taylor, Adam (May 28, 2021). "As U.S. calls for focus on covid origins, China repeats speculation about U.S. military base". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
- ^ Levin, Dan (25 August 2021). "Florida Sees Worst of Pandemic So Far". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Fort Detrick Area B Groundwater". Mid-Atlantic Superfund. EPA. 7 January 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ^ a b Matthew Hay Brown (10 May 2014). "Developers file $37 million federal suit over Fort Detrick contamination". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- ^ a b National Research Council (2012). "Review of Studies of Possible Toxic Effects from Past Environmental Contamination at Fork Detrick". Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- ^ Sylvia Carignan (1 August 2014). "U.S. attorney requests dismissal of developer's case against Fort Detrick". The Frederick News Post. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
- ^ a b Sylvia Carignan (20 August 2015). "Kristen Renee Foundation leaders, local residents sue Fort Detrick for wrongful death and pain and suffering". Frederick News-Post (MD). Retrieved 30 August 2015.
- ^ "Fort Detrick Restoration Advisory Board - US Army Garrisons" (PDF). 16 June 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ a b "CDC Inspection Findings Reveal More about Fort Detrick Research Suspension". 27 November 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-11-27. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ Mongilio, Heather. "Fort Detrick laboratory restored to full operations after being shut down by CDC". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ "Maryland lawmakers applaud CDC's decision to reopen Fort Detrick facility". Homeland Preparedness News. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ Denise Grady (Aug. 5, 2019) Deadly Germ Research Is Shut Down at Army Lab Over Safety Concerns Lab is shut down for lack of systems to decontaminate wastewater
- ^ "Standard Main Page". 2006-04-29. Archived from the original on 2003-01-24. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
External links
- Quotations related to Fort Detrick at Wikiquote
- National Cancer Institute-Frederick website