• Introduction
• U.S. Air Force
• U.S. Army 
• U.S. Marines
• U.S. Navy

Introduction

Iraq’s August 2, 1990, invasion of Kuwait triggered an international crisis resulting in the United Nations forcing Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait.

On January 16, 1991, after Iraq’s refusal to withdraw, Operation Desert Storm began with a massive air offensive which first destroyed Iraq’s air defenses and then attacked Iraq’s ground forces in Kuwait. Ground operations began on February 24, 1991, and by February 28, 1991, Iraq’s military capability was so devastated that a cease-fire was ordered.

The Allied coalition achieved its stated objective of liberating Kuwait, but to this day Iraq must be kept isolated from the world community by U.S. led military forces to prevent further aggression.

In spite of its brevity the war was not without loss. Estimated Iraqi military deaths range from 8000 to 100,000 while the Coalition lost about 300 troops. The number of civilian casualties is unknown

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The U.S. Air Force in the Persian Gulf War

Operation Desert Storm began with a massive Coalition air offensive in which the U.S. Air Force played a leading role.

This sustained aerial bombardment destroyed Iraq’s air defenses, communications networks, government buildings, weapons plants, oil refineries, bridges, and roads. By mid-February the Coalition had shifted its air attacks to Iraq’s forward ground forces in Kuwait and Southern Iraq, destroying their fortifications and tanks.

In addition to U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers and strike aircraft the Gulf War also saw the first operational use of the virtually radar invisible B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and the F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter. Further the Tomahawk cruise missile, fired from Air Force B-52s and Navy warships, demonstrated the ability of the United States to eliminate targets from a great distance without risking aircraft or crews.

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  The U.S. Army in the Persian Gulf War

Ground operations in the Gulf War, codenamed Operation Desert Sabre, commenced February 24^th 1991. This massive offensive included U.S. Army units of the Rapid Deployment Force as well as the 1^st Armored Division, 2^nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 3^rd Armored Division, 1^st Infantry (Mechanized) Division, 1^st Cavalry Division, and the Tiger Brigade.

The objective of these forces was the liberation of Kuwait from Iraqi forces with the added task of preventing those forces from withdrawing back into Iraq. The speed at which these forces advanced was far in excess of expectations. Iraqi forces were completely ineffective in the field and presented no obstacles to the highly trained, well equipped, primarily U.S. led troops opposing them.

By the morning of February 28, 100 hours after the ground war began, almost the entire Iraqi Army in Kuwait had been neutralized.

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  The U.S. Marines in the Persian Gulf War

The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait set in motion events that led to the largest movement of Marine Corps forces since World War II. Between August 1990 and January 1991 some 24 infantry battalions, 40 squadrons, and more than 92,000 Marines were deployed as part of Operation Desert Shield. Operation Desert Storm was launched January 16, 1991, with the main attack coming overland beginning February 24, when the 1^st and 2^nd Marine Divisions breached Iraqi defenses and stormed into occupied Kuwait. 

Meanwhile the threat of two sea-borne Marine expeditionary brigades held in check some 50,000 Iraqis along the Kuwait coast. By the morning of February 28, 100 hours after the ground war began, almost the entire Iraqi Army in the Kuwaiti theater had been encircled with 4000 of its tanks destroyed and 42 of its divisions either destroyed or rendered ineffective.

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  The U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf War

On August 2, 1990, Iraq sent armed forces to invade neighboring Kuwait. The United States and its allies responded forcibly establishing Operation Desert Shield to prevent Iraq from moving further south into the Arabian Peninsula.

When it became clear the Iraqi forces would not be withdrawn, Desert Shield became Desert Storm. The Navy supported the air and ground operations that ultimately forced Iraq out of Kuwait and back within its own borders. Utilizing both carrier-based aircraft and cruise missiles the navy bombarded enemy positions and strongholds while its warships attacked enemy shore installations and maintained the blockade that denied vital supplies to the Iraqi forces.

In the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps remain in the Persian Gulf enforcing United Nations sanctions against Iraq.

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