581. Military Operations: Information on U.S. Use of Land Mines in the Persian Gulf War (GAO-02-1003)
- Publication Date:
- 08-2002
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
- Abstract:
- The utility of land mines on the modern battlefield has come into question in recent years, largely because of their potential for causing unintended casualties and affecting U.S. forces' maneuverability. These concerns were raised during the Persian Gulf War (August 1990 to April 1991). In the Gulf War, the Department of Defense (DOD) deployed over 580,000 military personnel and a wide array of conventional weapons and munitions that it had designed and acquired primarily to fight the Soviet Union. The munitions used by these forces included several types of land mines and represented the largest U.S. combat use of its newer aircraftand artillery-delivered scatterable self-destructing land mines. Since the United States was attacked on September 11, 2001, DOD has been reviewing war plans to ensure that the military services are ready to meet future U.S. national security needs. This effort includes plans for the use of land mines. U.S. Gulf War experience documented in DOD after-action and lessons-learned reports provides insights concerning land mines.
- Topic:
- Security, Defense Policy, Arms Control and Proliferation, and Human Welfare
- Political Geography:
- Persia