(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/130116-panetta-open-channel-245p.photoblog600.jpg)Susan Walsh / pool via Reuters fileU.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is greeted by Brig. Gen Serdar Gulbas, center, and Col. Christopher E. Craige during a stopover to visit U.S. troops in Turkey on Dec. 14.By R. Jeffrey SmithThe Center for Public IntegrityThe Obama administration has quietly arranged for thousands of chemical protective suits and related items to be sent to Jordan and Turkey and is pressing the military forces there to take principal responsibility for safeguarding Syrian chemical weapons sites if the country’s lethal nerve agents suddenly become vulnerable to theft and misuse, Western and Middle Eastern officials say.
As part of their preparations for such an event, Western governments have started training the Jordanians and Turks to use the chemical gear and detection equipment, so they have the capability to protect the Syrian nerve agent depots if needed – at least for a short time, U.S. and Western officials say.
NBCNews