On April 3, 1991, the United Nations (UN) Security Council passed Resolution 687 which dictated the terms for the Gulf War cease-fire. Resolution 687 required Iraq to declare and destroy its stockpile of weapons of mass destruction.
The UN resolution also established a special commission to monitor and verify the elimination of Iraq's weapons. Called the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) on Iraq, it is organized with five divisions, each responsible for a specific mission. The five missions are to ensure the destruction of Iraq's chemical and biological weapons, confirm the destruction of ballistic missiles, verify the control and removal of nuclear materials, conduct long-term monitoring of Iraqi compliance and provide operations support.
The initial mission was to carry out on-site inspections of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction infrastructure and to verify the accuracy of Iraq's declarations. UNSCOM commenced inspection activities in Iraq in May 1991. However, information and documents provided by Iraq following the defection of several high ranking Iraqi officials in 1995 raised serious questions about Baghdad's compliance with Resolution 687, and subsequently has prompted UNSCOM to reassess Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs. Unlike some arms control agreements, UNSCOM inspection activities do not have a pre-determined end-date.
The UN requested cooperative action from member nations in supporitng the resolution and on May 17, 1991, the U.S. Secretary of State responded with a determination that it was consistent with the national interest to comply with the request. The State Department subsequently established a Special Commission Support Office (SCSO) to interact with UNSCOM.
Through the SCSO, several federal departments have assisted UNSCOM in a variety of areas, such as providing equipment and experts in ballistic missiles, chemical and biological munitions, and nuclear weapons technology.
In May 1991, UNSCOM requested assistance from the On-Site Inspection Agency (OSIA) in planning and operations functions. The Agency initially provided two personnel, one of whom became the Chief of Operations, a position that OSIA still supports. OSIA's experience in inspection operations and management permitted UNSCOM to move quickly into the planning and execution of inspection and destruction monitoring activities.
One month later, on June 11, 1991, Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney formally designated the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition (USD[A]) as the Executive Agent for Department of Defense (DoD) support to UNSCOM. On July 11, 1991, USD(A) passed the executive agent mission to the On-Site Inspection Agency with a charter formally spelling out OSIA's roles and responsibilities. Among other duties, OSIA was charged with managing UNSCOM requests for inspection team personnel, monitoring equipment and other support from DoD.
OSIA has the authority, consistent with the UN Participation Act, Executive Order 10206 and applicable DoD directives, to direct DoD components to procure or provide personnel, services, facilities, supplies, equipment and other assistance from stocks. UN requests for DoD support flow through the Department of State's SCSO to the Department of Defense. There, the requests are validated by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Joint Chiefs of Staff before being forwarded to OSIA. The UNSCOM Branch of OSIA's Interagency Affairs Office ultimately receives and responds to each request. A minimum of nine OSIA personnel provide support to UNSCOM, two of whom serve at UNSCOM Headquarters in New York.
Beginning in 1992, OSIA has coordinated an average of 50 UNSCOM support requests each year. However, during 1994 and 1995, the number of requests increased such that OSIA has responded to 72 and 97 taskers in those respective years. Additionally, the Agency provided 14 personnel to serve temporary tours of duty in Iraq that ranged from 12–90 days duration. OSIA's personnel provided expertise and support to UNSCOM in diverse mission areas such as ballistic missiles, chemical and biological weapons, nuclear materials inspections and logistics. During UNSCOM inspections of Iraqi sites, OSIA inspectors also provide bilateral inspection expertise, gained from Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty experience, to international inspection teams. In addition to inspection personnel, OSIA has provided UNSCOM equipment for video camera monitoring, mobile chemical laboratories and environmental sampling.
United States assistance to the United Nations and UNSCOM, through OSIA and other federal components, helps to implement UN Security Council Resolutions, promote U.S. interests in the Persian Gulf and prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The On-Site Inspection Agency is a joint-service Department of Defense organization responsible for implementing inspection, escort and monitoring requirements under the verification provisions of U.S. international arms control treaties and confidence-building agreements. With its headquarters at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., the Agency has field offices at Travis Air Force Base, California; Magna, Utah; Las Vegas, Nevada; Yokota Air Base, Japan; Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany; and Votkinsk, Russia. Additionally, OSIA operates Arms Control Implementation Units in U.S. Embassies in Minsk, Belarus; Almaty, Kazakstan; Moscow, Russia; and Kiev, Ukraine. Approximately 850 men and women from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Federal Civil Service are assigned to OSIA.
The Agency was formed in January 1988 to implement the on-site inspection, escort and continuous monitoring provisions of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union. OSIA has subsequently been assigned inspection, escort and monitoring responsibilities for other international arms control agreements to which the United States is a signatory.
As of May 1996
Iraq - Country Profile
The On-Site Inspection Agency (OSIA)
The U.N. Sanctions