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30 Years Later

Analysis in Combat — Desert Storm

Over the five months of Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 40 CNA field representatives supported and analyzed operations. Of those, 22 deployed with their commands to the Middle East, serving on Navy ships, Marine Corps forward bases, and Joint command centers. And after Kuwait had been liberated, these analysts returned to CNA headquarters to assemble the definitive, 18-volume reconstruction and account of lessons learned by the Navy and Marine Corps in the Gulf War.

CNA effectively employs an extensive array of assets to accomplish its mission: field representatives … provide analytic support to deployed forces, and also gather data before it can be lost or diluted. CNA analysts have a culture of delighting in telling admirals and generals what they don’t want to hear … an invaluable service to the Navy and Marine Corps.

Adm. Stanley R. Arthur,
Commander of Naval Forces in Desert Storm
(from Desert Storm at Sea)

DESERT STORM STORIES

The Plan in My Pocket

By Dr. Katherine McGrady

Katherine McGrady, the CEO of CNA, recalls her first wartime analyses, and the plan the officers never thought they would need — until they did.

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Risky Business

By Dr. Bob Ward

Flying to a carrier was familiar territory for an experienced CNA field representative like Dr. Bob Ward. But getting to USS Kennedy in the Red Sea just days before Desert Storm was hectic.”

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CNA Talks: Analysis in Combat

In recognition of the 30th anniversary of Desert Storm, CNA Talks presents Analysis in Combat. In this mini-series we’ll be bringing you interviews with CNA field representatives, military officers and historians about the conflict and the impact of CNA's Field Program on the war effort.

This mini-series presents interviews with CNA analysts who were supporting forces in theater during Desert Storm.

podcasts
videos
30 Years after Desert Storm, Lessons for Great Power Competition
Katherine McGrady highlights three takeaways from Desert Storm that can still inform defense planning in the era of great power competition.
The Right Metrics and the Right Partner
The U.S. Navy achieved a lot of successes in Desert Storm. However, we should never miss an opportunity to relook at every decision and performance metric so that we can do better the next time.
Wrong War, Right Weapons: Lessons for the Next Conflict
Precision-guided munitions contributed to Desert Storm’s sweeping success, but were developed for an adversary and battlefield nothing like the one faced in the Persian Gulf.
From the Proceedings Archive: The Storm at Sea
An excerpt from an article that appeared just a few months after the end of Desert Storm, in Proceedings, the magazine of the U.S. Naval Institute.

CNA CASE STUDIES

CALCULATING UNSEEN DANGERS

CNA analysts in the race against Persian Gulf mines

The most dangerous weapon threatening the U.S. fleet in Desert Storm turned out to be underwater mines. CNA analysts supporting naval forces calculated the risk to protect the mission — and save lives.

FLOATING WAREHOUSES AND FLYING MARINES

CNA and Maritime Prepositioning satisfy the need for speed

When the Marine Corps needed to send an entire expeditionary brigade to the Persian Gulf in less than two weeks, it depended upon the Maritime Prepositioning Force. CNA analysts had helped develop this novel force from a blank sheet of paper to tanks on the ground.

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