Operation Desert Storm:
Full Army Medical Capability Not Achieved
T-NSIAD-92-8: Published: Feb 5, 1992. Publicly Released: Feb 5, 1992.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
(202) 512-3504
contact@gao.gov
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
youngc1@gao.gov
GAO discussed the Army's ability to to provide medical support for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. GAO noted that: (1) the Army had to overcome significant problems to make medical units operational in the Persian Gulf before the ground war began; (2) the personnel information systems the Army used to identify doctors and nurses for assignment to active units contained incomplete and outdated information; (3) many of the doctors and nurses scheduled to deploy were non-deployable; (4) many doctors and nurses in active, Reserve, and National Guard units had not trained during peacetime to perform their wartime missions and were unfamiliar with their units' missions or field equipment; (5) hospitals did not receive equipment and supplies or received only partial shipments; (6) hospitals were able to move only a portion of their surgical capability and bed capacity in order to keep up with highly mobile combat divisions; and (7) the Army was able to provide adequate medical care for soldiers in need, but if the predicted number of casualties had occurred, the Army would not have been able to provide adequate care.
Recommendations for Executive Action
Status: Closed - Not Implemented
Comments: These were not recommendations in the testimony. Recommendations will be made in a report. Draft to the agency for comment was sent by March 1992.
Recommendation: The Army should establish effective controls to ensure more accurate and complete information in the Professional Officer Filler System.
Agency Affected: Department of Defense: Department of the Army
Status: Closed - Not Implemented
Comments: These were not recommendations in the testimony. Recommendations will be made in a report. Draft to the agency for comment was sent by March 1992.
Recommendation: The Army should establish controls to ensure that commanders accurately report the personnel conditions of their units.
Agency Affected: Department of Defense: Department of the Army
Status: Closed - Not Implemented
Comments: These were not recommendations in the testimony. Recommendations will be made in a report. Draft to the agency for comment was sent by March 1992.
Recommendation: The Army should require realistic mission-related training for its medical corps, including doctors and nurses.
Agency Affected: Department of Defense: Department of the Army
Status: Closed - Not Implemented
Comments: These were not recommendations in the testimony. Recommendations will be made in a report. Draft to the agency for comment was sent by March 1992.
Recommendation: The Army should review established doctrine regarding who Army theater supply centers are to support.
Agency Affected: Department of Defense: Department of the Army
Status: Closed - Not Implemented
Comments: These were not recommendations in the testimony. Recommendations will be made in a report. Draft to the agency for comment was sent by March 1992.
Recommendation: The Army should ensure that the doctrine for employing battlefield hospitals and evacuation units is consistent with the battlefield of the future and sufficiently resourced to get the job done.
Agency Affected: Department of Defense: Department of the Army
Explore the full database of GAO's Open Recommendations
»
Feb 25, 2021
-
Military Service Uniforms:
DOD Could Better Identify and Address Out-of-Pocket Cost InequitiesGAO-21-120: Published: Feb 25, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 25, 2021.
Feb 24, 2021
-
Defense Budget:
Opportunities Exist to Improve DOD's Management of Defense SpendingGAO-21-415T: Published: Feb 24, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 24, 2021.
Feb 22, 2021
-
Service Acquisitions:
DOD's Report to Congress Identifies Steps Taken to Improve Management, But Does Not Address Some Key Planning IssuesGAO-21-267R: Published: Feb 22, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 22, 2021.
Jan 21, 2021
-
Close Air Support:
Actions Needed to Enhance Friendly Force Tracking Capabilities and Fully Evaluate TrainingGAO-21-99: Published: Jan 21, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 21, 2021.
Jan 19, 2021
-
GPS Modernization:
DOD Continuing to Develop New Jam-Resistant Capability, But Widespread Use Remains Years AwayGAO-21-145: Published: Jan 19, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 19, 2021.
Jan 14, 2021
-
Columbia Class Submarine:
Delivery Hinges on Timely and Quality Materials from an Atrophied Supplier BaseGAO-21-257: Published: Jan 14, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 14, 2021. -
Department of Defense:
Actions Needed to Improve Accounting of Intradepartmental TransactionsGAO-21-84: Published: Jan 14, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 14, 2021.
Jan 12, 2021
-
DOD Critical Technologies:
Plans for Communicating, Assessing, and Overseeing Protection Efforts Should Be CompletedGAO-21-158: Published: Jan 12, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 12, 2021.
Dec 10, 2020
-
Climate Resilience:
DOD Coordinates with Communities, but Needs to Assess the Performance of Related Grant ProgramsGAO-21-46: Published: Dec 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 10, 2020. -
Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations:
DOD Needs to Address Governance and Oversight Issues to Help Ensure SuperiorityGAO-21-64: Published: Dec 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 10, 2020.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here