Patriot Missile Defense:
Software Problem Led to System Failure at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
IMTEC-92-26: Published: Feb 4, 1992. Publicly Released: Feb 27, 1992.
Additional Materials:
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Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the facts associated with the failure of a Patriot missile defense system in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, during Operation Desert Storm.
GAO found that: (1) the Patriot battery at Dhahran failed to track and intercept a Scud missile due to a software problem in the system's weapons control computer; (2) the software problem caused an inaccurate tracking calculation which became worse the longer the system operated; (3) at the time of the incident, the battery had operated continuously for over 100 hours and the inaccuracy was serious enough to cause the system to look in the wrong place for the incoming Scud; (4) two weeks before the incident, Army officials received Israeli data indicating some loss in accuracy after the system had been running for 8 consecutive hours; (5) the Army had never used the Patriot to defend against tactical ballistic missiles or expected the Patriot to operate continuously for long periods of time; and (6) Army officials modified the software, but the new software did not reach Dhahran until the day after the incident.
Dec 4, 2019
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Navy Maintenance:
Persistent and Substantial Ship and Submarine Maintenance Delays Hinder Efforts to Rebuild ReadinessGAO-20-257T: Published: Dec 4, 2019. Publicly Released: Dec 4, 2019.
Dec 3, 2019
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Military Housing Privatization:
Preliminary Observations on DOD's Oversight of the Condition of Privatized Military HousingGAO-20-280T: Published: Dec 3, 2019. Publicly Released: Dec 3, 2019.
Nov 27, 2019
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Water Scarcity:
DOD Has Not Always Followed Leading Practices to Identify At-Risk InstallationsGAO-20-98: Published: Nov 27, 2019. Publicly Released: Nov 27, 2019.
Nov 26, 2019
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Army Corps of Engineers:
Evaluations of Flood Risk Management Projects Could Benefit from Increased TransparencyGAO-20-43: Published: Nov 26, 2019. Publicly Released: Nov 26, 2019.
Nov 25, 2019
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Defense Procurement:
Ongoing DOD Fraud Risk Assessment Efforts Should Include Contractor OwnershipGAO-20-106: Published: Nov 25, 2019. Publicly Released: Nov 25, 2019. -
Naval Shipyards:
Key Actions Remain to Improve Infrastructure to Better Support Navy OperationsGAO-20-64: Published: Nov 25, 2019. Publicly Released: Nov 25, 2019.
Nov 22, 2019
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Defense Acquisitions:
DOD's Use of Other Transactions for Prototype Projects Has IncreasedGAO-20-84: Published: Nov 22, 2019. Publicly Released: Nov 22, 2019.
Nov 18, 2019
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Afghanistan Security Forces Fund:
DOD Has Processes for Identifying Training Needs and Maintaining Visibility over ContractsGAO-20-99: Published: Nov 18, 2019. Publicly Released: Nov 18, 2019. -
Army Marketing:
The Army Has Taken Recent Actions That Could Improve Program Oversight, Effectiveness, and Workforce PracticesGAO-20-93: Published: Nov 18, 2019. Publicly Released: Nov 18, 2019.
Nov 14, 2019
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Navy Readiness:
Actions Needed to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Changes to Surface Warfare Officer TrainingGAO-20-154: Published: Nov 14, 2019. Publicly Released: Nov 14, 2019.
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