Charting the Storm: DMA's Role in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm

摘要

The increasing importance of geographic intelligence to the Joint Force Commanderis illustrated by the cartographic support of the Defense Mapping Agency during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. This paper was done to illustrate the impact that the availability or non-availability of cartographic support plays in modern military operations. The scope of this paper was limited to DMA's aeronautical, topographic, and hydrographic support, which directly influenced the course of both operations. The increased dependency on these products was directly related to the increased sophistication of modern weapon systems. This was further compounded by the non-traditional requirement areas in the post U.S.S.R. world. To future Joint Force Commanders, these products can serve either as a force multiplier, operational constraint--depending upon their availability.... Cartography, Intelligence, Desert Storm.