Operation Desert Shield: The United States And The Kuwait Gulf War

During May of 1990 a war loomed in the Middle East when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein declared that Kuwait’s overproduction of oil was “economic warfare”. Hussein accused Kuwait of stealing from an Iraq oil field, and threatened military action. On August 2nd Hussein made good of his promise, and 100,000 Iraqi troops invaded, initiating the Gulf War. The United States’s involvement came only five days after the Iraqi invasion, with Operation Desert Shield. Following calls for help from Arab powers to protect oil-rich Kuwait, the United States sent troops into Saudi Arabia to help protect the small country from Hussien.

Tensions rose and war became inevitable when Iraq declared Kuwait its 19th province on August 28th. The United States’ congress

agrees to allow military action to fend off the Iraqi army, and Operation Desert Storm is formulated. The United States used an Apache Helicopter to unleash air-warfare on the enemy. Coalition airplanes also began attacking military-targets in Kuwait, Iraq, and Baghdad. On February 24th, 1991 the United States began using ground warfare against the enemy, and invaded Iraq and Kuwait. This portion of the war is what is referred to as the “100 Hours War”. Within 100 hours of invading, the Iraqi forces were practically crushed. Hussein ordered his troops to retreat, but it was futile. On “The Highway of Death” over 100,000 Iraqi soldiers are bombed while trying to make their escape using stolen civilian and military vehicles.
The war began to come to an end when American troops entered Kuwait city, where they were met with tank battles against the Iraqi Republican Guard. These battles were short lived. On February 28th president George H.W. Bush announced a ceasefire, saying that Kuwait’s Iraqi Occupation was lifted. On March 1st the ceasefire terms were negotiated, wrapping up one of the most rapid and bloodless U.S. victories of all time. The end casualty count for the United States was a mere 148, compared to the some 20,000 Iraqi troops.
Part of the reason for the United State’s brisk success was due to advanced technology. A new bombing technique, called “smart-bombs,” was introduced. These bombs are guided using Precision Guided Munitions, or MPGs, which are steered directly at a target using laser technology. These bombs allow U.S. forces to efficiently bomb selected targets using precision, making them more accurate, and more deadly. A new air defense system called Patriot was also introduced. It shot down incoming missiles before they could hurt any American forces. Two new helicopters and a new battle tank were also added to the United States’ vast arsenal.
In my opinion, the Persian Gulf War went very smoothly for the United States. I think that the war was just, as we were defending a small country invaded, and also protecting oil. Due to the very few number of casualties for the United States’ army, I believe that our military strategies were also effective, and therefore worthwhile. I believe that the Persian Gulf War was a necessary war on the United State’s part, and we fought it well.