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File: 123096_sep96_decls2_0045.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
CONCLUSIONS
Three notable success stories emerged from Navy medical operations during
Desert Shield/Storm. First, the Navy provided the initial echelon M medical capa-
bility in theater through the deployment of its two hospital ships and a preposi-
tioned afloat fleet hospital. The Navy must carefully weigh any proposals that
would reduce the readiness of its medical platforms because these measures may
weaken the Navy's ability to repeat this success. Second, establishing a Navy
forward diagnostic laboratory and deployment of preventive medicine specialists
helped to rninitnize preventable disease and illness. Again, the Navy needs to
safeguard this capability by maintaining its ability to identify disease threats
throughout the world. Third, the ability of the Reserves to rapidly recall qualified
professionals to support CONUS and OCONUS requirements is also noteworthy.
Administrative, organizational, and training enhancements will improve the
Reserves' ability to support the Navy.
@g-the deployment phase, the Navy medical department encountered a
number of problems in identifying which active-duty personnel and reservists to
deploy and in mob@g them. Although these problems did not delay the activa-
tion of medical platforms in theater, many personnel deployed without training for
or experience with their operational platform. During Desert Shield, inadequate
training and orientation meant that medical personnel arrived with insufficient
underst.qncling of patient regulating and medical resupply in a joint operation and of
the clinical setting in a combat en ent. Using lessons learned from this
operation, the Navy must enhance course content and expand training for key
medical personnel assigned to deployable platforms. This training must include
joint doctrine for aeromedical evacuation and medical resupply to ensure efficient
interservice coordination.
. During the operations phase, Navy medical personnel gained valuable experi-
ence with the hospital ships and fleet hospitals and identified a number of potential
problems. First, experience @ Desert Shield suggests that current manpower
authorizations understate the true requirements for nonmedical personnel in fleet
hospital support roles. The support fimctions organic to the fleet hospitals'and
hospital ships are crucial to the Navy's ability to rapidly deploy these facilities.
Second, the hospital ships and fleet hospitals lack adequate communications equip-
ment for command and control, patient regulating, and medical resupply. Third, the
Navy needs to develop clear doctrine and adequate equipment for the treatment and
movement of chemically contaminated patients. Fourth, the Navy should attempt to
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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