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File: 123096_sep96_decls2_0028.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
The remaining active-duty medical personnel required for 1,000-bed staffing were
placed on 24-hour alert.
The phased augmentation of the hospital ships allowed the supporting
CONUS MTFs to make a more gradual transition to the reduced stafeng levels that
prevailed until recalled SELRES reported for duty. Because of the uncertainty of
the departure date and the short time involved to reschedule appointments, the
contributions of the second-phase personnel to patient care at CONUS MTFs was
not significant. The phased arrival to the ships, however, facilitated accomplish-
ment of work required to stand up the ships' MTFS. No systematic plan for staffing
the hospital ships at less than 1,000 beds guided this effort, however. Upon arrival
in theater, medical planners in theater found differences in both staffing and capa-
bilities between the two ships. Development of a systematic plan to staff the hospi-
tal ships at 250, 500, and 1,000 beds and appropriate MPUAS assignments would
help to ensure the smooth stating of the hospital ships in future scenarios that
allow phased augmentation. Identification and training of personnel required to
stand up the MTF would also be useful.
Only a preliminary SMD was available at the onset of Desert Shield. The
deployment indicated a review of the SMD is in order. Grade and specialty/
subspecialty mix of medical corps and nurse corps billets is needed. The air-division
manning also requires review to ensure sufficient staffing for safe, continuous,
24-hour operations.
OP-093, OP-095, and OP-01 decided to send SELRES medical personnel to
complete staffing of the hospital ships, although active-duty personnel were on alert
y. Several important training issues surfaced during this evolution. The
SELRES personnel who augmented the ships in January were drawn from units
designated to backfill CONUS MTFS. Medical corps officers from these units pro-
vided significant experience in trauma and actual combat casualty care.
Nurse corps officers had years of experience in recovery and ICUS. Some hospital
corpsmen were actually qualified registered nurses. Without a plan to use SELRES
in this capacity, however, most had not received the firefighting or damage-control
training required by the hospital-class ship Navy Training Plan.
COMNAVSURFRESFOR proposed a six-day training evolution for the SELRES
to cover the minimum knowledge essential for a safe afloat assignment. The plan
included training in shipboard firefighting, damage control, individual CBR train-
ing, and medical management of chemical casualties. Only training in individual
CBR took place before deploy3nent, however. Much of this training requires
-19-
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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