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Outdated Maps and Intelligence Failures: A Scathing Revelation of US Military Oversight

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The most powerful military power in the world was left reeling after a diplomatic uproar over the mistaken bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. US and NATO officials revealed that the error was the result of an elemental oversight committed by everyday travelers - the lack of a comprehensive and accurate map. The combination of smart bombs and dumb maps delivered at least three precision strikes Friday night from a B-2 stealth bomber that killed three and injured 20 at the Chinese embassy, instead of hitting the Federal Directorate for Supply and Procurement.

Key Takeaways:

  • The US military's sophisticated intelligence was undone by information readily available in repositories as ubiquitous as the Internet, specifically outdated maps that inaccurately located the Chinese embassy in the old section of Belgrade.
  • The maps, prepared in 1992 and updated in 1997 and 1998, were found to be inaccurate, with many bookstores not carrying recent maps of Belgrade or being sold out.
  • The Chinese Embassy moved from its building in old Belgrade about three years ago, and the embassy and the directorate are on the same street, but with different names depending on the direction of Lenjinov Bulevar.
  • The plane hit a target that was the length of two football fields away from the Federal Directorate for Supply and Procurement.
  • The US Defense Secretary William Cohen hinted that the investigation would eventually name names and result in disciplinary action.
  • New procedures would be implemented, including the direct reporting by the State Department to the intelligence community whenever foreign embassies move or when new ones are built.
  • The National Imagery and Mapping Agency provided a Belgrade map that identified neither the new embassy site, nor the arms agency, and the Library of Congress also had a copy of one of the NIMA maps that did not show the new location of the embassy.
  • Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., attributed the outdated map to the underfunding of intelligence programs, stating that "we have gutted our intelligence and military capabilities and now the chickens are coming home to roost."
  • Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., committee vice chairman, said "our intelligence community is under tremendous strain" and that we have "overtasked and underfunded our intelligence agencies for too long."

Statistics:

  • 3 people killed and 20 injured in the mistaken bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.
  • 2 football fields, the distance between the plane's target and the Federal Directorate for Supply and Procurement.
  • 1992, the year the maps were first prepared.
  • 1997 and 1998, the years the maps were updated.
  • 3 years ago, the time the Chinese Embassy moved from its building in old Belgrade.
  • 1996, the year the changeover likely came, when the embassy moved to its new location.

Sources:

  • "A check of bookstores found many did not carry recent maps of Belgrade or were sold out."
  • "A 1996 Freytag & Berndt map of Belgrade listed the former address of the embassy and did not show it on the map."
  • "A recent map published by Falk in Germany did not list the embassies and had only a sketchy street grid of new Belgrade."
  • "A quick check of the official Belgrade Web site (http://www.beograd.org.yu/belgrade.html; CQ as of 05/10) showed a complete listing of embassies and consulates, including the correct address of the Chinese Embassy."
  • "The U.S. plane hit a target that was the length of two football fields away from the Federal Directorate for Supply and Procurement."
  • Knight Ridder writers John Donnelly and Tish Wells contributed to this report.
  • X X X (c) 1999, Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

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