SAFETY AAR OPERATION DESERT SHEILD STORM 17 JUL 91

File: 970107_sep96_decls5_0011.txt
Page: 0011
Total Pages: 12

Subject: SAFETY AAR OPERATION DESERT SHEILD STORM 17 JUL 91              

Unit: 2D ACR      

Parent Organization: VII  CORPS  

Box  ID: BX001703

Folder Title: ODS SAFETY AAR                                                                                  

Document Number:          1

Folder Seq  #:         43




                                         7"



              AETSAC-4SQDN-ASO
           ._SUBJECT:   -.Safety AAR    Desert Shield/Storm

              S;,.:.COMBAT PHASE:     Direct pnit,.involvment     in combat    operations
            -@'o6cutied@ from .,23 to  28 February 1991.      operational @ice'
              his period    was intense and involved movement,        communication and
              resupply over large distances of unfamiliar terrain.           1100 flight
              hours (of 6000 total    in theater) were logged by      squadron aircraft
              during this six day period.

                  a. Human Factors. Most problems noted in other 15hases'of the
              deployment were still present during combat operations.                  The
              addition of near continuous operations and contact with hostile
              forces did intensify some problems.

                    (1)     Risk Assessments.        The use of a paper matrix to
              establish numerical mission risk assessment had been discontinued
              by this stage of operations.         Line troop commanders personally
              briefed and flew in nearly every     flight mission. mission taskings
              were often unavoidably vague and absolute reliance on air/ground
              crew judgement was critical.

                    (2)       Accident    Investigation.        Unit    level    accident
              investigations were suspended once combat operations started.
              Control of wreckage and accident sights was normally passed to
              follow on units within hours of the mishap.           AVUM/AVIM recovery
              and- s@ivage operations were preceeded only by EOD safing of
              wreckage.

                  b.    Material Factors.       No combat specific material factors
              were noted.    Problems during earlier phases sometimes became more
t engine
              failures and compressor stalls for example, did occur more
              frequently as flight time (exposure) increased.

                  C.     Environmental Factors.         Flight missions in reduced
              visibility (less than I km) were conducted during four of the six
              days. The inherent risk (gnd/mid-air collision) of these missions
              increased dramatically as enemy ground units were encountered.
              Target    detection    and   positive    identification     was    normally
              impossible until aircraft were well within enemy crew served
              weapons range.      Unintentional low level target overflight with
              resulting small arms fire occurred several times due to poor
              flight visibility.     Stand off range for returning enemy fire was
              also reduced by poor visibility.

                  d.    Lessons Learned.        In general, the unit performed the
              mission as it had beee-trained to perform.          There were almost no
              "new"    or  "untrained"     tasks   specific to the combat phase.
              Proficiency   on  recently added tasks such as high gross weight

Document 12 f:/Week-48/BX001703/ODS SAFETY AAR/safety aar operation desert sheild storm 17 jul :01029718421510
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-48
Box ID = BX001703
Unit = 2D ACR
Parent Organization = VII CORPS
Folder Title = ODS SAFETY AAR
Folder Seq # = 43
Subject = SAFETY AAR OPERATION DESERT SHEILD STORM 17 JUL
Document Seq # = 1
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 02-JAN-1997