UNITED STATES NAVY IN DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM

Mediterranean to take up positions in the Gulf Saddam Hussein's rejection of diplo-
of Oman and Red Sea, respectively - ready to matic efforts to solve the crisis led~to the final
commence sustained combat operations on decision to restore Kuwait's sovereignty by
arrival. military force. The ensuing air war and the
effects of the economic embargo decimated
When President Bush ordered the de- Iraq's military infrastructure, severed corn-
ployment of i~oops and equipment to defend munication and supply lines, smashed weap-
Saudi Arabia, long-established maritime su- ons arsenals, and destroyed morale. Some of
periority facilitated the largest, fastest strate- the first shots fired were from Navy ships in
gic sealift in history, with more than 240 ships the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, as they launched
carrying mo~re than 18.3 billion pounds of salvos of Tomahawk cruise missiles against
equipment and supplies to sustain the forces pre-programmed targets in Iraq.
of DESERT SHIELD / STORM. Maritime supe-
riori ty also all owed allied naval forces to imple- After an impressive 38-day air cam-
ment and sustain United Nations trade sanc- paign, the ground offensive began with allied
tions against Iraq immediately after they were forces sweeping through Iraqi defenses in blitz-
imposed severing Saddam Hussein's economi-c krieg fashion. The allied push into Kuwait and
lifeline. southern Iraq was made easier by the amphibi-
ous forces on station in the Persian Gulf. The
Low-key but close military ties with threat they posed forced tens of thousands of
friendly Arab states, developed during 40- Iraqi troops to maintain positions along the
plus-years of naval operations in the region, Kuwaiti coastline to defend against attack from
helped pave the way for the quick introduc- the sea. The Iraqi army was crushed after a
tion of U.S. ground and air forces into Saudi mere 100 hours. Iraqi troops - tired, hungry
Arabia and other Gulf states. When U.S. Ma- and war-weary from six months of economic
rines began arriving in Saudi Arabia, their blockade and more than a month of relentless
supplies and equipment were close at hand. allied bombing - surrendered by the thou-
Maritime Th~epositiornng Ships based at Diego sands. Less than seven months after the Iraqi
Garcia and Guam carried enough tanks, artil- invasion, Kuwait was once again free.
lery and ammunition to sustain the Marines
- for 30 days. The MPS ships' proximity to the A SHORT HISTORY OF THE UNITED
theater of operations allowed Marines to begin STATES NAVY IN THE PERSIAN GULF.
marrying up with their supplies in Saudi Arabia DESERT SHIELD / STORM brought together
less than two weeks after the invasion of Ku- the largest force of Navy warships assembled
wait:. in a single theater since World War II, adding
a powerful punch to Navy forces already on-
Under the Navy's Total Force concept scene the night of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
more than 21,000 naval reservists were called The Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia are fa-
to active duty in support of DESERT SHIELD/ miliar territory to the United States Navy. U.S. A-
STORM. Ser~ring in specialties from medicine naval forces have been operating in the region
to mine war�~re, reservists worked alongside since 1801 and have maintained a continuous
their active duty counterparts in the Persian presence there for over 40 years. It is likely that
Gulf. Others filled critical vacancies on the Navy ships will continue to represent and
home front. protect U.S. interests in the region for the fore-

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