Document Page: First | Prev | Next | All | Image | This Release | Search

Limited Medical Supplies

Delayed Mission Capability


Army hospital units deploying to the Gulf were directed not to

procure medical supplies prior to deployment because they would

be furnished in theater.  A 10-day initial supply of potency and

dated items was to be shipped to each unit in theater.      However,

some units received packages that contained only 3 days supply of

critical items such as narcotics, anesthesia, antibiotics, and X-

ray film, and other units rec~ived none.  Many of these supplies

were not received by the hosp;tals until just days before the

ground war started.


In-theat~r ~uppIy Centers ~~d

~ot Opera~~ According to ~trine


A-Ar~~r! medica~ supp~y `.enter~ ~n the Persian Gulf could not

~quately ~porbd ~~ the mod~cal supply demands of in-theater

~Pts.    The 4octri~ mission of these supply centers is to serve

0Ai':'~~ as a resupply potnt for Army medical units.   But during

Op@qtion Desert Shiold/Desert Storm they were also required to

a~ as the initial supply points for Army medical units and as

re~~ply points for the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps medical

units.   These new requirements were extensions of the centers'

basic mission, and the centers were neither trained nor equipped

to adequately respond to the additional demands.


                                13

Document Page: First | Prev | Next | All | Image | This Release | Search