Operation Desert Storm: Evaluation of the Air Campaign

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Operation Desert Storm air campaign, focusing on the: (1) use and performance of aircraft, munitions, and missiles employed during the air campaign; (2) validity of Department of Defense (DOD) and manufacturer claims, particularly those for weapon systems utilizing advanced technology; (3) relationship between cost and performance of weapon systems; and (4) extent that Desert Storm air campaign objectives were met. DOD unclassified approximately 85 percent of the originally classified material in the in the classified report and GAO has included that material in this version of the study. The best available data did not permit GAO to either: (1) make a comprehensive system-by-system quantitative comparison of aircraft and weapon effectiveness; or (2) validate some of the key performance claims for certain weapon systems.