Operation Desert Storm

GAO reviewed the Defense Department's capabilities to distribute equipment and supplies during Operation Desert Storm. Specifically, this report discusses the Army's, the Marine Corps', and the Air Force's capability to (1) unload equipment and supplies at seaports and airports; (2) store and retrieve assets; (3) transport supplies and equipment to forward-deployed logistics bases and units; and (4) provide security at ports of entry, in warehouses, and during the surface transportation of assets.

GAO found that: (1) the accessibility of Saudi Arabian seaport and airport facilities allowed the U.S. military to unload and move enormous quantities of equipment and supplies without delay; (2) between August 1990 and March 1991, U.S. personnel unloaded 576 ships and 10,002 aircraft, handling approximately 4 million short tons of equipment and supplies and 7 million gallons of fuel; (3) military officials stated that the lack of trained personnel to operate material-handling equipment was the main restraining factor at the seaports; (4) as the quantity of incoming equipment and supplies increased, U.S. forces depended on host nation and coalition support to sustain port operations; (5) during the initial deployment phase, the Army and Marine Corps had limited capability to store and retrieve equipment and supplies because combat troops and equipment arrived before support units; (6) when logistics support units arrived in the theatre in November 1990, the supply system graduated from a push to a sustainment phase; (7) the Air Force established and implemented an in-theater air transportation system to meet the U.S. forces' airlift requirements; (8) the Army could not fulfill its role as the designated theater manager for surface transportation because it lacked the transportation assets to meet its own requirements; and (9) during Operation Desert Storm, there were no notable instances of theft or diversion at ports of entry, in warehouses, or during the surface transportation of equipment and supplies.