Operation Desert Storm

Of 15 Army hospitals that GAO reviewed, the 10 with available data reported shortages of some medical supplies during the build up for the ground offensive for Operation Desert Storm. Items in short supply included flu vaccines, morphine, and antibiotics, as well as certain lab reagents and X-ray film. The initial shortages arose because hospitals were shipped to the Persian Gulf without their full complement of medical supplies. Commercial medical suppliers filled most requisitions during the Gulf War, but they could not meet the deadlines for some large orders. Four medical items--three of which are related to nerve agent exposure--posed problems for the industrial base, although none of the hospitals GAO reviewed reported shortages of these four items. The Army plans new initiatives for meeting hospital supply needs during future contingencies.

GAO found that: (1) 10 of the 15 hospitals reviewed reported shortages of some medical supplies during Operation Desert Storm; (2) the extent of shortages experienced by the hospitals could not be determined due to incomplete and inconsistent data; (3) the Army's policy restricting the use of war reserve stocks for contingencies limited the release of medical supplies during the Persian Gulf conflict; (4) the Army deployed medical supplies that were only available within the Defense Personnel Support Center wholesale supply system; (5) commercial medical suppliers filed most requisitions during the Persian Gulf conflict; (6) the Army plans to fully stock a number of hospitals and at least one medical supply center with medical supplies to ensure rapid deployment; and (7) the Army plans to reduce the number of stockpiles to support regional contingencies and revise the accountability and management policies for its war reserve program.