Operation Desert Storm

Improved Air Force Procedures Are Needed for Special Project Supply Orders Gao ID: NSIAD-92-81 January 31, 1992

Air Force units did not always cancel outstanding backorders authorized for Desert Storm operations as soon as they should have. Four months after combat ceased, Desert Storm backorders valued at more than $50 million were still outstanding. As a result of GAO's review, the Air Force (1) canceled about $3.7 million in backorders for items no longer needed and (2) redirected about $4.4 million in backorders originally authorized to support Desert Storm to meet other needs. The failure to detect or cancel these invalid backorders resulted from weaknesses in Air Force procedures and practices. Special project codes are routinely authorized for Air Force units, and backorders will continue to be established for special projects. Unnecessary procurement, repair, and transportation costs can be avoided in the future by establishing procedures and practices to ensure that invalid backorders are promptly canceled.

GAO found that: (1) the Air Force did not always cancel outstanding backorders for Operation Desert Storm for units that redeployed from the Persian Gulf to peacetime locations or completed their support of deployed forces; (2) after its May 1991 inquiries regarding uncancelled invalid backorders, the Air Force Logistics Command requested the Air Force Central Command Supply Support Activity (CSSA) to cancel mass backorders for base supply activities in the Persian Gulf that were no longer supporting operations there; (3) as of July 1991, Operation Desert Storm backorders valued at $50.8 billion were still outstanding; (4) Air Force procedures and practices did not provide adequate guidance to ensure that backorders were cancelled when some units completed their participation in Operation Desert Storm; (5) the Air Force could not monitor the backorders' validity, because it lacked an accurate and comprehensive list of units authorized to use the special project code for priority processing of supply requests; and (6) the Air Force cancelled about $3.7 million in backorders for items no longer needed and redirected $4.4 million in Desert Storm backorders to meet other requirements.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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