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Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion and occupation of neighboring Kuwait in early August 1990. Alarmed by these actions, fellow Arab powers such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt called on the United States and other Western nations to intervene.
The First Gulf War (“First Iraqi War” or “Persian Gulf War”) August 2, 1990, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded the tiny oil-rich country of Kuwait, claiming it had historically belonged to Iraq.
In that time, the Iraqi forces committed at least sixteen crimes against the Laws of Armed Conflict as outlined in the Geneva and Hague Conventions. Those crimes include running of at least two dozen torture sites in Kuwait City alone, torturing civilians to the point of death and disfigurement.
Kuwaiti women were taken hostage and raped repeatedly. Iraqi occupation forces killed at least 1,082 Kuwaiti civilian noncombatants, including women, children, and the mentally handicapped. Then they rigged the oil wells to explode if they were attacked.
Other Arab states feared Saudi Arabia would be invaded next. President George H. W. Bush immediately ordered troops into the region.
Desert Shield: the U.S. eventually sent over 500,000 troops to protect the Saudi Arabian border from Iraqi forces.
UN Security Council Resolution 661 condemned the invasion of Kuwait and ordered economic sanctions against Iraq. Though the U.S. was the primary supplier, 28 countries contributed men and/or materiel to the Coalition in some significant way.
The operational plan to defend Saudi Arabia and expel Iraq from Kuwait was based on Gen. Colin Powell’s (then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) doctrine of overwhelming force.
Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf commanded a force larger and more complex than the D-Day invasion in WWII and didn’t want a ground war. “Stormin’ Norman,” as he came to be known, was a highly-decorated and respected Vietnam War veteran. He commanded a Coalition of 670,000 personnel from 28 countries, along with combined Naval and Air Forces, with 425,000 troops from the United States.
The First Gulf War brought about the rise of cable news, and thus, cable television.
Just two hours ago, allied air forces began an attack on military targets in Iraq and Kuwait. These attacks continue as I speak. Ground forces are not engaged. This conflict started August 2nd when the dictator of Iraq invaded a small and helpless neighbor. Kuwait—a member of the Arab League and a member of the United Nations—was crushed; its people, brutalized. Five months ago, Saddam Hussein started this cruel war against Kuwait. Tonight, the battle has been joined.… Our objectives are clear: Saddam Hussein’s forces will leave Kuwait. The legitimate government of Kuwait will be restored to its rightful place, and Kuwait will once again be free. Iraq will eventually comply with all relevant United Nations resolutions, and then, when peace is restored, it is our hope that Iraq will live as a peaceful and cooperative member of the family of nations, thus enhancing the security and stability of the Gulf.…
Source: President George H. W. Bush, Address to the Nation Announcing Allied Military Action in the Persian Gulf, January 16, 1991 (adapted)
Media Coverage was very restricted as Coalition commanders feared the horrors of war would lead to another Vietnam syndrome, where the imagery turns the public against war in general.
The Pentagon gave regular briefings but few journalists were allowed to visit the front. At the same time, satellite technology allowed for live video of missiles firing off of aircraft carriers and airstrikes on Iraqi targets while night vision camera technology gave the war a futuristic, almost video game like feel. So much so, it came to be dubbed “The Nintendo War.”
Vietnam and the War in the Gulf - Ten Observations
Notes presented by Dr. Frank Burdick - SUNY Cortland
History 330-001 - The Vietnam War 12/2/1991
1. The combat environment: The Gulf War provided a more favorable environment for US technology , weapons, and maneuver tactics.
2. End of the Cold War: Absent from the Gulf War was the factor of big power politics; Soviets and Chinese supported coalition action. Soviets passed on important intelligence on Iraqi air defense systems.
3. Coalition Warfare: In Vietnam the US was unable to win more than token support of SEATO allies, or worse, was forced to purchase Korean mercenaries.
4. Clear constitutional support of Congress: The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution of August 1964 meant a commitment few congressmen could appreciate. This was not so in theCongressional debate of December 1990.
5. POV: The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait was deliberate and offensive to most nations. In Vietnam the "enemy" was Vietnamese fighting Vietnamese in a Revolutionary War.
6. Motivation: It is clear that the Iraqi forces - even the so called elite "Republican Guard" lacked the motivation to fight. In Vietnam the Revolutionary forces were highly motivated, a fact noted by most American Vietnam veterans.
7. Power Play: In the Gulf War the US applied power massively and forcefully. In Vietnam power was applied gradually and haltingly, for reasons inherent in Vietnam's close proximity to China.
8. Territory: Progress and "victory" in the gulf War was measured by territory taken, unlike Vietnam where an attrition strategy was applied success was measured in the infamous body count.
9. Censorship: Because of the gradualist nature of the build up in Vietnam it was impossible for the military to impose censorship of the media. In the Gulf War censorship of the media was imposed from the start.
10. Finally, Vietnam was a war the US couldn't win; The Gulf War was a war the US could not lose.
Courage Under Fire
Plot: While serving in the Gulf War, Lieutenant Colonel Serling (Denzel Washington) accidentally destroys one of his own tanks during a confusing night-time battle, killing his friend, Captain Boylar (Tim Ransom). The US Army covers up the details and transfers Serling to a desk job.
Later, Serling is assigned to determine if Captain Karen Emma Walden (Meg Ryan) should be the first woman to receive a (posthumous) Medal of Honor. She was the commander of a Medevac Huey that was sent to rescue the crew of a shot-down Black Hawk. When she encountered a T-54, her crew destroyed it by dropping a fuel bladder onto the tank and igniting it with a flare gun. However, her own helicopter was shot down soon after. The two crews were unable to join forces, and when the survivors were rescued the next day, Walden was reported dead.
Source: Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation
…As a result of servicewomen’s performance during Operation Desert Storm, the last of the laws restricting women’s service were lifted by the middle of the decade. In 1992, Congress repealed the restriction banning servicewomen from flying in aircraft engaged in combat missions. In 1993, they lifted the restriction banning women from serving aboard combat vessels. By the turn of this [21st] century, women comprised almost 14 percent of active military duty personnel and were reaching the highest levels of the military.… While issues of equal opportunity for women in the military still remained, the distance between the servicewomen of 1999 and the Army nurses of 1901 who served their country before they could even vote was staggering.…
The Kuwaiti oil fires were caused by Iraqi military forces setting fire to a reported 700 + oil wells along with an unspecified number of oil filled low-lying areas, such as oil lakes and fire trenches, as part of a scorched earth policy while retreating from Kuwait in 1991 due to the advances of Coalition military forces in the Persian Gulf War.
The fires were started in January and February 1991, and the first well fires were extinguished in early April 1991, with the last well capped on November 6, 1991
The Highway of Death is a six-lane highway between Kuwait and Iraq, officially known as Highway 80. It runs from Kuwait City to the border town of Safwan in Iraq and then on to the Iraqi city of Basra.
The road had been used by Iraqi armored divisions for the 1990 Invasion of Kuwait. The road was repaired after the Persian Gulf War and used by U.S. and British forces in the initial stages of the 2003 invasion of Iraq
Throughout the history of the United States, wars have been fought to protect national security and promote the national interest. These wars have affected the United States and American society in many different ways. These wars include the Spanish-American War (1898), the Korean War (1950–1953), and the Persian Gulf War (1991).
Select two wars mentioned in the historical context and for each
• Describe the historical circumstances that led to United States involvement in the war
• Discuss the effects of the war on the United States and/or on American society
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