Incendiary Chemical-Warfare Agents and Hydrogen Fluoride (HF) By James M Madsen, MD, MPH, U S.Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD) Reviewed / Revised Jan 2023 View Patient Education Pathophysiology Symptoms and Signs Diagnosis Treatment Military incendiary agents are designed to illuminate the battlefield, to start fires, to create smoke to obscure terrain and personnel, or for combinations of these effects.