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File: 123096_sep96_decls2_0003.txt
Subject: MEDICAL OPERATIONS DURING OPERATION DESERT STORM 9 NOV 91
Unit: VAR. BUMED
Parent Organization: BUMED
Box ID: BX303801
Folder Title: VARIOUS BUMED DOCUMENTS FOLDER 6
Document Number: 2
Folder Seq #: 10
EXEC S y
The Navy's ability to establish significant medical capability in theater early in
Operation Desert Shield/Storm clearly validates the concept of maintaining a
prepositioned fleet hospital afloat and maintaining hospital ships in reduced
operating status with the capability to ach2eve full operating status for their
primary nnssion withm five days (ROS-5). By deploying the two hospital ships and
a fleet hospital, the Navy provided over half of the operational beds in theater
-through mid November. The value of the fleet hospitals and-hospital ships lies not
just in the speed with which they may be moved and activated, but also in the depth
and range of care they provide and the self-sustaining features they include. Al-
though the Navy success@y deployed significant medical capability, deficiencies
surfaced during Desert Shield/Storm that require resolution before the next
operational deployment of naval medical platforms.
The deployment of two surgical teams and supporting personnel provided the
fL=t Navy medical capability in theater in mid August. The teams augmented the
staffing of host-nation hospitals, providing a total of 350 beds. Fleet Hospital Five
(FH-5) departed Diego Garcia aboard MV Noble Star on 9 August. MV Nobk Star
anchored in theater on 17 August pending notification of the desf=tion port and
completed offload at Al Jubayl on 24 August. FH-5 saw its f=t patient on 6 Sep-
tember and achieved a 500-bed capability on 12 September. The hospital ships,
USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) and USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) departed Norfolk and Oak-
gust. USNS Comfort arrived on station in the Gulf on
8 September and USNS Mercy arrived on 16 September. Each arrived with staffing
for a 500-bed capability. Selected reserve (SELRES) personnel who deployed in
January increased stafrmg to support 1,000 beds on each hospital ship. SELRES
also staffed FH-6 and FH-15, which were activated with 500 beds each in early
February. The Navy established a forward diagnostic laboratory and deployed a
preventive medicine ttam early in Operation Desert Shield, which helped contain
disease and nonbattle injury (DNBI) rates. Two medical regulating teams deployed
to manage patient flow, and Navy medical planners and logisticinn-- augmented
various staffs.
The low number of combat casualties did not test the effectiveness of medical
platfo-@ and supporting evacuation and supply concepts to handle mass casualties.
Overall, Navy fleet hospitals and hospital ships treated 53,433 outpatients"
6,613 inpatients, and performed 1,493 surgical procedures. Over 4,376 helicopter
-V-
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Document 57 f:/Week-37/BX303801/VARIOUS BUMED DOCUMENTS FOLDER 6/medical operations during operation desert storm:1217961126393
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-37
Box ID = BX303801
Unit = VAR. BUMED
Parent Organization = BUMED
Folder Title = VARIOUS BUMED DOCUMENTS FOLDER 6
Folder Seq # = 10
Subject = MEDICAL OPERATIONS DURING OPERATION DESERT STORM
Document Seq # = 2
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 = 17-DEC-1996