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for vehicle maintenance, containing small vehicle parts often subject to 
failure. All maintenance personnel need to deploy with appropriate technical 
data necessary to support assigned equipment.

(4) Weapons.

Observation. Weapons issued to AE ground element personnel (AELT, MASF, AECE) 
were not appropriately matched against mission requirements and host support 
capability.

Discussion. Normally, .38 caliber revolvers are issued to the vast majority of 
TAES personnel because of the high concentration of officers and aircrew 
members assigned. This generally leaves radio operators as the only AE 
personnel that deploy with M-16 rifles. With increasing needs for tactical 
deployments requiring TAES personnel providing for their own perimeter 
defense, authorization of additional M-16 rifles for AE ground UTCs became 
clear. At some theater locations, MASF OIC/NCOICs had no choice but to 
redistribute M-16s, signed for individually by 492Xls, to those aeromedical 
technicians assigned perimeter security responsibility as a rotating 
additional duty. This practice not only illustrated a shortfall in the number 
of appropriate weapons authorized against ground element taskings, but also a 
potential problem in the integrity of weapons custodianship. Additionally, 
those elements that were supported by Army, Navy or Marine logistics agencies 
were assured of serious difficulty in obtaining timely ammunition resupply due 
to differences in weapons authorized for use by their host branch of service. 
All the other branches predominantly issue 9mm pistols and/or later model M-16 
rifles which use ammunition that is noncompatible with the .38 revolver and 
older model M-16 issued by AE units.

Recommendation. Review and update the weapons table of allowance/authorization 
process to provide more flexible distribution of weapons among UTCs that may 
encounter tactical scenarios with increased levels of threat. Turn in existing 
revolvers and older model rifles for replacement with weapons currently issued 
and supported by Air Force Security Police, Army, Navy and Marines logistics 
agencies.

15. Commander's Summary. Providing aeromedical evacuation support for 
Operation DESERT SHIELD/STORM has been a remarkable experience. It consisted 
of an endless series of opportunities and challenges, marked by both 
satisfactions and frustrations. We deployed the largest aeromedical evacuation 
force in history and .accomplished our mission, moving over 12,600 patients as 
of the end of March. Although we expected to move many more, we're -grateful 
we didn't have to. our personnel did many things well, but we learned that we 
need to do many things better. On the positive side, we developed several 
concepts that should serve us very well in the future. For example, 
single-point management at strategic AE hubs worked well. The use of 
communications control

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