Desert Shield/Storm Logistics

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reported on the Department of Defense’s (DOD) efforts to supply troops deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield/Storm with necessary support items and repair parts, focusing on: (1) how the DOD logistics system supplied the land-based forces; and (2) logistics support observations from military officials involved in the operation. GAO observed that: (1) Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm personnel were able to obtain needed parts and maintain high readiness rates; (2) despite prescribed plans, problems included a lack of available repair parts for some newly fielded systems, a lack of information on repair parts with the units, and transportation delays; and (3) the DOD supply system and Saudi Arabia adequately provided food for the troops, but Army and Marine Corps personnel noted problems with food variety and uniforms, boots, and chemical equipment sizing problems; and (4) the Marine Corps’ Maritime Prepositioning Force and the Air Force’s Harvest Falcon prepositioning program were both successful in expediting the deployment of supplies and support equipment to Saudi Arabia.