Gulf War Air Power Survey
Download 5.55 Mb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- The Role of the Chaplain
- The services of chaplains were available when needed to personnel of all faiths. Below, chaplain performs wedding ceremony.
- Morale, Welfare, and Recreation
- Various types of recreational facilities were available to Service personnel, including sports, libraries, movies (above and left), and special entertainment (opposite page).
- Personnel Finance During Deployment
- Table 17 Average Weekly Transactions Processed
- Entitlement and Payment Methods
- Comptroller Command and Control
8 Supporting The People More than 55,000 Air Force personnel deployed to the deserts of Southwest Asia; fewer than ten percent were fliers. This chapter deals with the morale and welfare needs of the operational as well as support forces, and how they were met. The challenge was unique, as men and women reared in the customs of Western civilization were transplanted to fight for and beside people of ancient customs that viewed Western ways, religious beliefs, and codes of conduct with antipathy and suspicion. To bridge the cultural gap, U.S. military authorities instituted for their personnel certain guides of conduct. The first of these, issued in August 1990, prohibited specific activities by U.S. military personnel assigned to the theater of operations. The order was necessary to preserve U.S. and host nation relations and the combined operations of U.S. and Coalition forces. Also, Islamic law and Arabic customs prohibited or restricted certain activities generally permissible in Western countries. These added to the cultural shock. Essentially, the CENTCOM General Order restricted or prohibited the purchase, possession, or use of many items normally available to Westerners. Alcohol, firearms, sexually explicit material (whether pornographic or not), and gambling were prohibited. Entrance into a Mosque or other Islamic religious sites, unless required by military necessity, was also prohibited.1144 Religious and cultural limitations within the theater varied, depending on which Southwest Asian country personnel were deployed. Personal Bibles were allowed, but could not be distributed to local nationals. Moslems openly proselytized for converts among Service personnel.1145 Worship services on U.S. sites were not impeded, but any public gathering for non-Moslem worship outside the U.S.-controlled site was prohibited. Initially, the Saudis requested that terms such as “church services” and “chaplains” be substituted with “morale services” and “morale officers.”1146 Commanders also asked chaplains to refrain from wearing the emblem of their faith on the uniform once outside a U.S.‑controlled site.1147 Not until January 1991 could the ban on the terms “chaplain” and “church service” be lifted by Lt. Gen. Charles A. Horner. Restrictions set for female personnel included modest dress codes and excluded walking or riding in a car in public together with a man, other than one's husband, and no demonstration of public affection. On military compounds in Saudi Arabia where American Servicewomen were isolated from local nationals, cultural restrictions and social prohibitions were relaxed. However, more restrictions were often imposed on people near major urban areas than in rural areas or on those deployed to the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The lack of consistency was difficult to accept for some U.S. Servicewomen. Yet, they saw the need to adhere to the restrictions as part of the military obligation.1148 For them, this was the same dichotomy that faced chaplains in the execution of their mission. The Role of the Chaplain The mission of the Chaplain Service is to provide a comprehensive ministry in support of maximum readiness and combat effectiveness of the Air Force, assuring the right to the free exercise of religion for all Service members. To fulfill this mission, chaplains serve on the staff of commanders as advisors on religious, ethical, and quality of life concerns. To serve commanders in these functions, the Air Force established Pastoral Ministry Teams (PMT), each consisting of a chaplain and an enlisted chaplain Service member. Their primary function is to nurture the living, provide spiritual care for casualties, and to honor the dead. The influence that Air Force chaplains provided in support of air power may be best measured by the potential for serious morale problems of the combat force created had they not deployed at all. 11 12 The services of chaplains were available when needed to personnel of all faiths. Below, chaplain performs wedding ceremony. 12
Chaplain Support Planning As of August 1990, the Headquarters CENTAF Operations Plan did not provide for a chaplain structure, and there was no designated Ninth Air Force chaplain responsible for organizing for such a contingency. This function fell upon the Tactical Air Command, CENTAF Rear, who monitored a deployment manning document, listing manpower requirements and unit taskings, and adjusted the time-phase force and deployment list as required. Accordingly, it was the Tactical Air Command chaplain mission capabilities statement that served as the manpower guideline for deploying chapel function personnel to Southwest Asia.1149 The keys to any measure of success in ministering to the troops was adherence to existing Air Force Chaplain Service regulations and policies coupled with additional training. In December 1990, the theater had twenty-two installation staff chaplains and fifteen chapel support personnel who had never ministered under the threat of war in a bare-base environment. The implementation of the Pastoral Ministry Team concept to minister under threatening environment was emphasized during all site visits and in written communications. It also became a primary focus at the Installation Staff Chaplain and Chief of Chapel Support Activities Conference held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in December 1990. By January 1991 the Pastoral Ministry Teams made a strong effort to serve in the flying squadrons and remain easily available to pilots and aircrew. When pilots were aloft, the teams focused on the maintenance and support personnel. They also served in hospital facilities, where it was important to be readily available and recognized in the event of mass casualties; their services extended twenty-four hours a day. When aircrews became the center of attention, Pastoral Ministry Teams were on hand for prayer and support during mission briefings, preflights, takeoffs, and recoveries. For example, the teams would gather people from various support functions to send off pilots with a final salute prior to missions. In September, the CENTCOM chaplain also tasked the CENTAF chaplain to prepare a plan for Jewish personnel needs during High Holy Days. CENTAF coordinated with Army and Navy counterparts to arrange for a central gathering place for all Jewish personnel to meet for these services.1150 Because of the limited number of Jewish chaplains in the theater, the Air Force Jewish chaplain planned site visits along the Western Star mail plane circuit. The Army Jewish chaplain worked the eastern circuit and the Navy Jewish chaplain visited Navy ships within the theater of operations. In March 1991, the Pastoral Ministry Teams changed their focus by helping men and women cope with changes at work and by preparing them for reunion with family members after a long separation. Preparations were also made for the Jewish holiday of Passover. Headquarters U.S. Air Force and CENTAF Rear supported the theater by obtaining Kosher foods, and in conjunction with this holiday, they planned an interservice Passover Retreat for all Jewish personnel. With the approval of Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, the Passover Retreat was conducted from 29 to 31 March 1991 aboard the R&R ship Princess Cunard, in Bahrain. The retreat included the observance of Seder services. More than 400 Jewish service members attended 3 separate worship services. Many soldiers, isolated from their families and attempting to deal with the harsh desert environment, discovered an increased interest in religion.1151 Soldiers were cautioned, however, to refrain from displaying religious symbols out of doors and in areas frequented by the Saudis. Chaplains in Southwest Asia conducted 17,394 Protestant services attended by 649,281 people. In addition, 9,421 Catholic services attracted 425,772 people, and 390 Jewish services drew an attendance of 9,803. The Army estimated that about 1,000 Jewish soldiers deployed to Southwest Asia. Almost 900 other types of religious services were held for 22,539 worshippers.1152 Working with the Saudi government, the chaplains also organized a pilgrimage to Mecca for U.S. Muslim soldiers.1153 The 681 chaplains included 560 Protestants, 115 Catholics, and 6 Jewish. They distributed a variety of religious literature and material, among them more than 300,000 books and pamphlets, 150,000 audio tapes, and 700 menorahs. This material, transported to Southwest Asia by the Military Airlift Command, was not subject to mailing prohibitions. Service personnel of all faiths practiced the faith of their choice, and most had access to chaplains when needed.1154 Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Although several Middle East exercises held by JCS prior to the war provided valuable experience for the CENTCOM theater of operations, personnel charged with morale responsibility during base-level mobility exercises were often tasked to perform other duties. As a result, they were unfamiliar with their primary duty of setting up and operating deployed bare-base activities for morale, welfare, and recreation.1155 Unlike situations during Operations Urgent Fury (Grenada) and Just Cause (Panama), five and one-half months elapsed between the initial deployment and commencement of combat operations. U.S. forces were training and preparing for combat every day. Quality of life became a major concern, especially since host nation laws and culture limited the scope of recreational programs that could be offered. This created a disparity in the standard of living between units deployed to different countries. The harsh environment (heat and sand) eliminated a number of possibilities to set up sports fields and similar athletic programs. On the other hand, the Persian Gulf War enjoyed overwhelming public support which led to a tremendous outpouring of contributions from the private sector. These contributions were ultimately funneled into recreational channels,1156 and the combat force was provided opportunities to relax and enjoy many of the same stress-reducing activities to which they were accustomed in the United States. During the deployment phase, each Service provided support for morale, welfare, and recreation in a different fashion. The Navy used existing support through their fleet recreation coordinator at Bahrain and their facilities at Diego Garcia. The Marines deployed sports equipment at the unit level and assigned military personnel to recreational functions as an additional duty. During the 1980s the Army had traded military morale, welfare, and recreational authorizations for light infantry authorizations; therefore, the Army had virtually no deployable capability for this role.1157 The Air Force, adequately staffed and equipped with Sports and Recreation Mobility Kits, was able to provide such needs anywhere within the theater of operations. Thirty days into deployment, 79 morale, welfare, and recreation personnel, were deployed to Southwest Asia. Maj. Bob Doane, chief of this support activity at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, was designated CENTAF Forward Director of Morale, Welfare, and Recreation, with responsibility for coordinating Air Force support within the theater. Initially, coordination between CENTAF Forward and Rear functions and supporting major command functional managers worked exceptionally well. However, when identification of personnel requirements went outside the computer system, some support teams arrived in the theater before they were needed, and others reported to the wrong site, causing unnecessary redeployment. As additional combat units were deployed, however, more assets were redeployed and reallocated where needed. Ultimately, 221 morale, welfare, and recreation personnel, including 17 officers and 35 Sports and Recreation Mobility Kits, from 7 major commands deployed to establish and operate the programs at 22 deployed locations.1158 15 13 14 Various types of recreational facilities were available to Service personnel, including sports, libraries, movies (above and left), and special entertainment (opposite page). 13
16 Various types of facilities were used throughout the theater. They ranged from makeshift outdoor theaters and athletic fields to modern host nation sports complexes. Seven Air Force deployment locations were in or near major metropolitan areas that offered three or more host nation recreational facilities.1159 The bare-base Air Force locations initially relied on self-help until RED HORSE and civil engineer support provided vital support; for example, by paving volleyball/basketball courts.1160 Basic programs, such as intramural sports, weight-training tents, recreation equipment, libraries, and movies were available at all deployed Air Force sites. Beyond the basics, there were activities such as overnight stays in hotels, shopping tours, cultural orientation tours, golf, and “better than a letter” videotaped messages to loved ones. The Army rented the Princess Cunard Luxury Liner, docked for the duration of the war on the northern tip of Bahrain. The ship accommodated 900 passengers at a time, out of which the Air Force received an allotment of 112 for cycles of 4 days and 3 nights. More than 3,000 Air Force personnel eventually participated in this program.1161 Resale operations, established at all locations, sold souvenir T‑shirts, coffee mugs, baseball caps, sodas, snacks, and beer (where allowed; i.e., UAE, Oman, and Bahrain) by host nation laws. These activities generated substantial nonappropriated fund revenues.1162 The USAFE Library Service Center served as the focal point for shipment of library materials for Air Force personnel in the Persian Gulf.1163 The USAFE Library Center shipped a total of 200,000 paperbacks; another 25,000 arrived with the mobility kits. Tactical Air Command set up a subscription for 2,500 copies of USA Today and Air Force Times, while publishers donated 20,000 copies of 21 popular magazines. Because of the variety and scope of such activities, USCINCCENT designated the Air Force to take the lead in providing support within CENTCOM,1164 and the CENTAF Director of Morale, Welfare, and Recreation became responsible for coordinating distribution of donated goods, managing three distribution circuits of Army and Air Force Exchange Services, and coordinating all support for celebrity and entertainment visits. Three entertainment circuits established for Operation Desert Shield1165 were designed to ensure an equitable distribution of entertainment. However, this principle was changed so that most, if not all, USO tours were also scheduled for front line areas. During the Persian Gulf War, the overwhelming public support produced an avalanche of private-donation gifts to support the troops,1166 which sent them a strong message that, unlike Vietnam, the public staunchly supported them. Early in Operation Desert Shield, handling such donations presented a problem, since no provision for them existed. The Defense Logistics Agency then became the donation receiving agent for the Services and assumed responsibility for shipping donated items to CENTCOM. Prior to hostilities, the Military Airlift Command transported them to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and CENTAF coordinated distribution to the Services. Distribution was based on a percentage of deployed population (Army 56 percent, Marines 16 percent, Navy 14 percent, and Air Force 14 percent).1167 Inadequate storage facilities within the theater, however, hampered distribution. Funding for morale, welfare, and recreation likewise presented readjustments as a result of deployment. CENTAF decided early to fund Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm requirements using appropriated funds to the maximum extent allowed by law. As a result, very little support costs were paid with nonappropriated funds. With the exception of library materials purchased by USAFE early in the operation, only resale items, or other goods not authorized from appropriated funds, were purchased with nonappropriated funds. Tactical Air Command Headquarters authorized a $100,000 grant, and the Air Force MWR Board authorized a $300,000 line of credit.1168 Fees were not charged for recreational programs, and resale profit margins were kept to a minimum. However, due to sheer volume, approximately $300,000 in nonappropriated profits were generated abroad.1169 The Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee MWR Panel, Representative Lancaster, expressed concern early in Operation Desert Shield over the financial impact of deployment on such programs stateside. The estimated “lost income” impact at Air Force bases with significant deployment ranged between $1.5 and $2.5 million during the first quarter of Fiscal Year 1991.1170 DOD requested from each of the Services a request for relief to compensate for the Persian Gulf War extraordinary losses. Personnel Finance During Deployment Beginning in August 1990, three to four accounting and finance personnel from the base comptroller organization deployed to the Persian Gulf to establish disbursing offices. They supported contracting officers for on-the-spot payments to local vendors for goods and services; they responded to inquiries from individual members regarding pay, travel entitlements, allowances, cashed checks, and currency exchange; and they accomplished basic accounting requirements to track obligations and reports to the home station. Disbursing agents were appointed on orders to act on behalf of the home station Accounting and Finance Officer. They were legally accountable to the home station for cash, checks, and funding documents issued to them. They were also responsible for ensuring that funds were used only for those things for which they were appropriated. These agents acted as a bank in that they cashed personal checks for deployed personnel and exchanged U.S. currency for foreign currency to be used for purchases on the local economy. Because disbursing agents were not in theater during the early stages of deployment, contracting officers were left without the financial support to make immediate payments to host nation vendors.1171 Additionally, safeguarding of funds was difficult. Field safes were deployed, but agents lacked secure facilities to store them. Security Police provided some security, but not enough to provide twenty-four-hour guard. Therefore, disbursing agents slept next to the money to provide the required security.1172 Most of the deployed comptroller personnel were trained disbursing agents but did not have enough experience or skill to support contracting officers in the field. The initial function for disbursing agent operations was to travel with contracting officers and pay for purchases, such as billeting, bottled water, subsistence requirements, and aircraft fuel.1173 Specifically, disbursing agents did not fully understand contracting regulations or fathom the multitude of legal requirements and restrictions. Cash Operations Agents deployed with cash, checks, and funding authority documents ranging from $250,000 to $1.5 million in cash, up to $21 million in checks, and up to $27 million in funding authority.1174 By 12 August 1990, disbursing agents at 12 sites had a total of 37 comptroller personnel assigned. By 30 August, this number had increased to 19 sites with 77 comptroller personnel assigned. By mid-September 1990 comptroller strength had risen to 90 personnel at 21 sites. By October 1990, these sites were staffed with 127 personnel from 7 major commands. By this time, they held $60 million in funding authority, $5 million in cash, and more than $45 million in checks. At the peak of operations, monthly comptroller activity exceeded 8,000 partial and casual payments and 47,000 cashed personal checks in theater.1175 The on-site disbursing agent responded to questions and paid all members regardless of component. Problems occurred when active duty finance personnel did not understand the reserve pay and entitlement system.1176 These 127 people supported approximately 55,000 Air Force members, in addition to members from the other Services. Another 43 people deployed to Turkey, Greece, Spain, and Diego Garcia, and contingency hospitals in the United Kingdom and Germany, bringing the total Air Force comptroller personnel to 170 people.1177 The majority of them came from Military Airlift, Strategic Air, and Tactical Air Commands. U.S. Air Forces in Europe provided agent support and the Air Force Reserves and Air National Guard had comptroller personnel in theater. A sample of a typical week's business at the 21 sites is portrayed in Table 17.1178 Table 17 Average Weekly Transactions Processed
Entitlement and Payment Methods The on-site disbursing agent was available to respond to questions regarding pay and allowances, including travel payments. Initially accomplished by message, mail, or phone, it became possible to provide a Leave and Earnings Statement to deployed members as time went on. By December 1990, terminals via satellite linked deployed agent offices through the supply system communication lines. This system provided the capability to perform real-time inquiries in response to member's questions, and it provided disbursing agents with an electronic mail capability. Ten of the twenty-one sites were using this capability by the end of December, and all locations had it by mid-February. Some systems for posting wartime and contingency entitlements were not up to date. For example, the program for Uniformed Services Saving Deposit Program, not used since the Vietnam War, became obsolete and needed updating.1179 Similarly, the program to post combat zone tax exclusions required work before it became usable. Comptroller Training Experience levels of comptroller technicians during the Gulf War indicate a need for more realistic training.1180 As mentioned previously, they deployed to the theater of operations trained in disbursing functions, well prepared to accomplish military pay and travel tasks, but not to resolve issues that required accounting knowledge. Some commanders requested items that could not be purchased from funds at the disposal of the agent.1181 For example, to respect host nation sensitivities, a commander wanted to use operations and maintenance funds to purchase new uniform blouses that would cover women's arms. Provision for such purchases, however, is covered by a clothing allowance, and neither the agent nor the commander could have authorized a civilian clothing allowance for personnel assigned to positions where wearing short sleeve blouses posed a problem. Better training would have afforded the agent sufficient understanding of regulations to support the commander's need. Comptroller Command and Control The early stages of Operation Desert Shield vividly revealed the need for a clear chain of command to guide comptroller policies. Without a forward headquarters accounting and finance element, there was no central authority for appealing funding, guidance, and direction for further resolution.1182 Nor was it possible to deploy disbursing agents to the theater or assign them to a central accounting and finance officer who could provide cash, checks, and funding documents. Each agent in theater reported to the Accounting and Finance Office in the United States or Europe; twenty-one agents reported to nineteen separate offices in seven different commands.1183 As a result, agents responded to direction from nineteen different sources with differing command views and to guidance from the Defense Finance and Accounting Center. Obviously, this complicated operations at the disbursing agent level. Directory: sgp -> library sgp -> Sgp country Programme Strategy for op6 sgp -> Itu-d study groups sgp -> Internship with Congressional Campaign Exploratory Committee — Only 4 spots left! sgp -> Using Well Logs in the Petroleum Industry sgp -> Telecommunication development bureau itu-d study groups Download 5.55 Mb. Share with your friends:
|