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Madam Chairman and Members of the Committee:


We appreciate the opportunity to be here today to discuss the

Department of the Army's abiliLy to provide medical support for

Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm.  We plan to more fully

address the issues discussed today in a report to be issued later

this year.  Our work was based on visits and interviews with

medical personnel from units that deployed to the Persian Gulf,

observations of senior Army and theater medical officers, and

reviews of Army "after action" reports.


BACXGROUND


To support the combat forces of Operation Desert Shield/Desert

Storm, the U.S. Army deployed 198 medical units, such as

hospitals, air and ground ambulance companies and detachments,

logistic support units, and special surgical teams.   The size of

the hospitals ranged from 60-bed Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals

to a 1,000-bed General Hospital.   These units were in addition to

the medical aides and battalion aid station staff of the

individual combat divisions.


Army medical units deployed to the Persian Gulf area in two

phases.   The first, to support the XVIII Corps, began to deploy

in August 1990 and consisted of active duty units.   The second

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