Chief of Naval Operations ADM Jay L. Johnson and Chief of Naval Air Training ADM Michael Bowman were on hand for the event. This change to Cockpit-21 is more like the configurations of present tactical fighter aircraft. The innovation and excellence provided by the T45TS ensures those pilots are fully trained and fully qualified to take on challenges of operational duty in the cockpits of the most sophisticated aircraft in the world today. Since the Gulf War, the Department of Defense has increased the level of attention given to biological warfare defense and other force protection measures. The current world threat environment and the unpredictable nature of terrorism make it prudent to include biological warfare defense as part of our force protection planning.
Anthrax is one such threat.
It is an infectious disease that normally afflicts animals. If placed into weapons, it would be 99 percent lethal to unprotected individuals who have been exposed. A safe and effective vaccine is available that will protect our forces. It is a formalin inactivated vaccine that uses dead bacteria rather than live bacteria. There is no evidence from records at the MBPI that anthrax vaccine is associated with any chronic or permanent local or systemic effects.