Gulf War Air Power Survey
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- Joyous Americans welcome home troops from the Persian Gulf War. Appendix A
- Deployment of Engineering and Services Forces
- Appendix B Gulf War Air Base Characteristics
- Host Nation Crash/Rescue Fire Protection Lighting Facilities
- Gulf War Air Base Characteristics (Continued)
- Feet) Host Nation Crash/Rescue Fire Protection
Supporting the People Both CENTCOM and CENTAF were without assigned chaplains at the beginning the Gulf crisis and the responsibility for organizing the deployment fell on the Tactical Air Command. Religious and cultural restrictions varied in the theater depending on which Southwest Asia country personnel were assigned. The term “church services” and “chaplain” had to be substituted with “morale services” and “morale officer” resulting in dissatisfaction among both the chaplains and other military personnel. However, the CENTCOM chaplain was able to get this restriction removed in January 1991. Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) activities varied depending on which country personnel were stationed, but the overall program was very good. The Air Force was designated the lead Service for MWR activities in the theater because of its substantial capabilities. Due to public support of the war effort, the theater was overwhelmed with private donations and the Air Force managed the distribution of these items to the other Services. However, recreational activities at home bases suffered a loss of revenues of between $1.5 and $2.5 million in the first quarter of FY91 and DOD had to request relief from those losses through the House Armed Services Committee MWR panel. Disbursing agents did not have the experience nor the training needed to support operations in Southwest Asia. They were trained as disbursing agents and did not have the full range of financial accounting knowledge needed. Complicating the problem was the fact that guidance and direction was received from nineteen separate finance offices in seven different commands, thus complicating operations at the disbursement agent level. The Air Force, as the single Service manager for postal operations for CENTCOM experienced difficulties in managing postal operations in the theater. This was primarily due to the Army's inability to handle the large volumes of incoming mail and reluctance to follow procedures established by the Air Force. Furthermore, insufficient in-country transportation assets bogged down the mail, as well as mail volumes stretching the limits of even the United States Postal Service. The many complaints from both Service members and their families resulted in numerous Congressional hearings on mail issues. At the outset of hostilities, the Federal Aviation Agency established further mail security procedures, thereby creating additional mail handling precautions and backlogs. However, these precautions proved to be necessary when C-4 explosives were found in a parcel mailed from Saudi Arabia. Medical Besides making many adjustments during the deployment, the Air Force Medical Service engaged in an extensive postwar analysis of its readiness posture. On direction from the Surgeon General, the major medical staffs of the Air Force Medical Service surveyed the after‑action reports of all Medical Service units to learn what the experience meant for medical readiness. Within a year of the Gulf War ceasefire, the Surgeon General concluded that none of areas identified for improvement were significant enough to tarnish the success of the Desert Shield/Desert Storm medical deployment. The aeromedical evacuation system, moreover, which served as a safety valve for all the EUCOM and CENTCOM component medical systems, had only mixed success in preparing for a major ground war. On the positive side, the Air Force was able to compensate in part for some problems in Army forward evacuation, and the Air Force created its own effective intratheater evacuation system. But the limited capacity and incompatibilities of the joint patient regulating systems meant that probably not all seriously wounded and injured patients in a mass casualty ground war would have been transported speedily to the most appropriate medical facilities. Command and control of airevac missions demanded greater centralization than allowed by prewar doctrine, and the Air Force could take only minor remedial action before the ground war. Furthermore, casualty rates at the highest levels estimated by the Joint Chiefs of Staff would have demanded a major reinforcement of dedicated airevac planes and equipment from CONUS, at time when the dedicated airevac fleet of CRAF III was still not operationally ready. Despite several areas for improvement, the Total Force policy for Air Force Medical Service worked well. Reserves provided almost half of the medical manpower committed to Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Their skills, flexibility, and hard work were essential to mission accomplishment. The Gulf War, however, emphasized the need for a continuing and substantial investment in contingency training for reserve and active duty medics. 29
the Persian Gulf War. Appendix A
Appendix B Gulf War Air Base Characteristics
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