PESTICIDES WERE NOT GIVEN IN HIGH ENOUGH SHIPMENT PRIORITY

File: 980404_aug96_sagwi6_0001.txt
Page: 0001
Total Pages: 1
Subject = PESTICIDES WERE NOT GIVEN IN HIGH ENOUGH SHIPMENT PRIORITY      

Box ID = BX000461

Folder Title = COMMAND REPORTS-ARCENT MISC LESSONS LEARNED-PT 1 OF 2 A                                         

Unit = ARCENT      

Parent Org = CENTCOM     




                                         UNCLASSIFIED

       1. (U) JULLS NUM13ERs 14274-36300(00002), submitted by
       AM-ND-CC, COL Yenison,

       2. (U) DESERT STORM 91 conducted on 03/29/91
     0. (U) XEYWORDS: None.

       4. (U) TITLE: Pesticides were not given a high enough shipment priority

       S. (U) OBSERVATION, Insufficient pesticide, particularly
       fly bait was shipped to Saudi Arabia.

       6. (U) DISCUSSIONs The shipment priorities were no low that
       as of 1 April 1991, eight months after the beginning of
       Desert Shield, depots still reported zero availability. The
       requisitions submitted were rejected.

            A few conscientious units purchased fly bait off the
       local economy. other units simply gave up in frustration
       when their requisitions were rebuffed.

           We were extremely lucky that major enteric disease did not
       occur among combat units. If so, flies would have spread the
       disease rapidly and combat troops would have had to carry the
       additional burden of diarrhea into battle.

            Pesticides are a Class XXX item competing for space with
       truly critical commodities such as fuel. However, high priority
       for fuel should not totally and completely preclude the shipment
       of other lesser Class III items into a theater of operations.

            Transportation planners need to allocate at least SOME
     0 pace aboard ships for pesticides despite their understandable
       low priority.

       7. (U) LESSON LrjaMD-. The prioritization scheme for Class III
       failed to assure the shipment of even minimal pesticides into a
       theater of operations.

       8. (U) RECOMMENDED ACTION: That staff planners determine why
       pesticides failed to arrive in theater. Furthermore, that they
       modify prioritization procedures to assure that an appropriate
       amount of pesticide will arrive during operations in the future
       when the suppression of insect vectors might be critical

       9. (U) COMMENT: Fly bait doesn't sound very important unless
       you are a soldier in the field using two hands to eat (one to
       hold the fork; the other to brush away the flies)l

                                         UNCLASSIFIED



            DECLASSIFIED
            ON: 23 MAR 98
            BY: SEC ARMY (DAMH) UNDER SEC 3.4 EO 12958