DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM

As the war between Iran and Iraq widened, so did the dangers to U.S. Navy ships operating in the Gulf. Iran started laying mines in the Gulf and began using small suicide boats to raid U.S. tankers and naval units. Iraq also possessed weapons that could cause tremendous damage and casualties. These weapons proved costly to the United States. In May 1987, an Iraqi aircraft mistakenly fired two missiles that struck USS Stark (FFG-31), killing 37 sailors and wounding many more. In April 1988, Iran’s use of mines caused considerable damage to USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58). Until that time, the U.S. Navy’s presence was largely defensive. When forced to take offensive action, the United States acted quickly. U.S. Navy ships bombarded an Iranian oil platform being used as a command post and sank a mine-laying vessel carrying out operations. DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM On 2 August 1990, the president of Iraq Saddam Hussein, ordered the world’s fourth largest army from Iraq to invade the country Kuwait. The United States deployed a major joint force which served as the foundation for a powerful 33-nation military coalition to stem Iraq’s brutal aggression. Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm was born. The United States Navy provided the sea control and maritime superiority that paved the way for the introduction of U.S. and allied air and ground forces. The United States offered strong leadership for the multinational naval force. Desert Shield/Desert Storm brought together the largest force of Navy warships assembled in a single theater since World War II, adding a powerful punch to Navy forces already on scene the night of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. Long-established maritime superiority facilitated the largest, fastest strategic sealift in history, with more than 240 ships carrying more than 18.3 billion pounds of equipment and supplies to sustain the forces of Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Under the Navy’s Total Force concept more than 21,000 naval reservists were called to active duty in support of Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Serving in specialties from medicine to mine warfare, reservists worked alongside their active duty counterparts in the Persian Gulf. Others filled critical vacancies on the home front. Saddam Hussein’s rejection of diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis led to the final decision to restore Kuwait’s sovereignty by military force. The ensuing air war and the effects of the economic embargo decimated Iraq’s military infrastructure, severed communication and supply lines, smashed weapons arsenals, and destroyed morale. Some of the first shots fired were from Navy ships in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, as they launched salvos of Tomahawk cruise missiles against pre-programmed targets in Iraq. After an impressive 38-day air campaign, the ground offensive began with allied forces sweeping through Iraqi defenses in blitzkrieg fashion. The allied push into Kuwait and southern Iraq was made easier by the amphibious forces on station in the Persian Gulf. The threat they posed forced tens of thousands of Iraqi troops to maintain positions along the Kuwaiti coastline to defend against attack from the sea. The Iraqi army was crushed after a mere 100 hours. Iraqi troops—tired, hungry and war-weary from 6 months of economic blockade and more than a month of relentless allied bombing—surrendered by the thousands. Less than 7 months after the Iraqi invasion, Kuwait was once again free. It is likely that Navy ships will continue to represent and protect U.S. interests in the region for the foreseeable future. REVIEW 6 QUESTIONS Q1. List some of the Navy’s roles during the Korean Conflict. a. b. c. d. 5-25 Student Notes: