This report tells the story of the events of the Gulf War that potentially have affected the health of some who served there and of the government's actions in response to those health problems. It is about foresight, it is about bureaucracy, and it is about accountability. It reflects a year-long bipartisan special investigation by a team of experts assembled by the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs in the spring of 1997. The Committee on Veterans Affairs has actively conducted oversight on Gulf War veterans concerns since 1993, including holding committee and field hearings and issuing a 1994 staff report on this issue. The Special Investigation Unit on Gulf War Illnesses (SIU) examined the policies and actions of the U.S. government that have had an impact on the current health of the men and women who served during the Gulf War.

The appendices to the report resulting from a congressional investigation to comprehensively review the U.S. government's response to the unexplained illnesses suffered by many vets of the Gulf War. This report examines the actions taken (& not taken) by the DoD before and during the war, and by the VA in its aftermath, that relate to the current health of Gulf War vets. It also looks at the medical and scientific issues surrounding Gulf War vets' unexplained illnesses, including analysis of various environmental hazards to which these vets were exposed. Also identifies serious defects in the VA's health care and benefits delivery system.