Synopsis "Persian Gulf: Allied Burden Sharing Efforts: Nsiad-92-71"
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the burden sharing efforts of allied countries during the Persian Gulf crisis, focusing on allied contributions to the United States, the multinational force, and other countries. GAO found that: (1) as of December 15, 1991, allied countries had pledged about $54 billion in cash and in-kind support, such as equipment and transportation, to the United States and contributed 94 percent of their pledges; (2) Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Germany, and Korea were major contributors to the United States; (3) the executive branch initially reported that allied countries pledged about $54.6 billion, but revised this figure in July 1991 to about $54 billion to reflect a reduction in the 1991 Japanese and Korean pledges due to a misunderstanding between governments; (4) as of October 31, 1991, the Department of Defense (DOD) reported receipts of in-kind support valued at about $5.6 billion by relying on information from the contributing countries, but the assigned value may differ from the actual cost incurred by the contributor, since there were instances where DOD had to estimate the value due to an absence of such data; (5) the European Commission and 24 countries participated in the Gulf Crisis Financial Coordination Group by pledging about $16.2 billion in economic assistance to countries affected by the crisis, with actual contributions totalling about $10.6 billion as of October 1991; and (6) allied countries joined the multinational military force and provided financial and other assistance, through bilateral arrangements, to affected crisis countries and international organizations involved in refugee relief efforts.
