Gulf War/Defense of Saudi Arabia /Operation Desert Shield
From Month/Year
August / 1990
To Month/Year
January / 1991
Description
In 1990, fellow Arab Gulf states refused to endorse Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's plan to cut production and raise the price of oil, leaving him frustrated and paranoid. Iraq had incurred a mountain of debt during its war with Iran that had lasted for most of the previous decade, and the Iraqi President felt that his Arab brothers were conspiring against him by refusing to raise oil prices. Therefore, after weeks of massing troops along the Iraq-Kuwait border and accusing Kuwait of various crimes, Hussein sent seven divisions of the Iraqi Army into Kuwait in the early morning hours of 2 August 1990. The invasion force of 120,000 troops and 2,000 tanks quickly overwhelmed Iraq's neighbor to the south, allowing Hussein to declare, in less than a week, that Kuwait was his nation's nineteenth province. The United Nations responded quickly, passing a series of resolutions that condemned the invasion, called for an immediate withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait, imposed a financial and trade embargo on Iraq, and declared the annexation void.
Regarding Iraq's actions as a threat to a vital interest of the US, namely the oil production capability of the Persian Gulf region, President George Bush ordered warplanes and ground forces to Saudi Arabia after obtaining King Fahd's approval. Iraqi troops had begun to mass along the Saudi border, breaching it at some points, and indicating the possibility that Hussein's forces would continue south into Saudi Arabia's oil fields. Operation DESERT SHIELD, the US military deployment to first defend Saudi Arabia grew rapidly to become the largest American deployment since the Southeast Asia Conflict. The Gulf region was within US Central Command's (CENTCOM) area of responsibility. Eventually, 30 nations joined the military coalition arrayed against Iraq, with a further 18 countries supplying economic, humanitarian, or other type of assistance.
Carriers in the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea responded, US Air Force interceptors deployed from bases in the United States, and airlift transports carried US Army airborne troopers to Saudi Arabia. Navy prepositioning ships rushed equipment and supplies for an entire marine brigade from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to the gulf. During the next six months the United States and its allies built up a powerful force in the Arabian peninsula. The navy also began maritime intercept operations in support of a US-led blockade and United Nations sanctions against Iraq.
Coalition forces, specifically XVIII Airborne Corps and VII Corps, used deception cells to create the impression that they were going to attack near the Kuwaiti boot heel, as opposed to the "left hook" strategy actually implemented. XVIII Airborne Corps set up "Forward Operating Base Weasel" near the boot heel, consisting of a phony network of camps manned by several dozen soldiers. Using portable radio equipment, cued by computers, phony radio messages were passed between fictitious headquarters. In addition, smoke generators and loudspeakers playing tape-recorded tank and truck noises were used, as were inflatable Humvees and helicopters.
On 17 January 1991, when it became clear that Saddam would not withdraw, Desert Shield became Desert Storm.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
August / 1990
To Month/Year
January / 1991
Last Updated: Jan 9, 2021
Personal Memories
People You Remember LTJG Paul Morris
Memories The Gulf War (2 August 1990 – 28 February 1991), codenamed Operation Desert Shield (2 August 1990 – 17 January 1991) for operations leading to the buildup of troops and defense of Saudi Arabia and Operation Desert Storm (17 January 1991 – 28 February 1991) in its combat phase, was a war waged by coalition forces from 34 nations led by the United States against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.
I deployed to Manama, Bahrain from NAF Atsugi with a VQ-1 World Watcher EP3 detachment from September to December 1990. On arrival I asked the intel officer of the det we were relieving, "What happens if the flagship gets underway?" to which he said it would never happen. BS! No sooner did I board USS Lasalle that I learned she was getting underway the next week! We needed to find a secure facility fast or we'd be sleeping on the plane with the classified gear. In addition to supporting the daily flights I jumped through my butt to coordinate, submit all the paperwork and gain navy approval to establish at temporary secure compartmented facility (T-SCIF) at the American Embassy to support our operations. The chain of command back in Japan and Guam was quick to express their displeasure that I was moving Det operations off the flagship and went as far as to send me opnotes directing me to return to the flagship! They eventually got it. Our T-SCIF wasn't much larger than a closet to stow the classified and secure comms through the embassy to get the mission reports out. And most important, it was a whole lot better than the alternative of sleeping on the plane with the classified gear. The Det personnel bedded down at a four-star hotel in town, ate at the local restaurants and shopped for carpets, gold and perfumes at the souk. I made it back to NAF Atsugi just before Christmas. Having debriefed Desert Shield operations to the commander CTF72 and CFAIRWESTPAC, I was invited to fly down to the Phillipines with them to brief the Ranger CVBG (commanded by RADM Zlatoper) which was enroute the Persian Gulf for Desert Storm. I then went stateside for the holidays and on a returning stopover in Honolulu CNN reported that DS operations had commenced. A new American Embassy had been completed in Bahrain and the VQ Det eventually took over the old embassy building in its entirety.
Deployed VQ-1 personnel qualified for the Southwest Asia Medal and Kuwait Liberation Medal for Operation Desert Shield.