Gulf War 199091 – Steven J Zaloga

Casus belli: The invasion of Kuwait n The air campaign n Missile war n Iraqi raid at Khafji n The ground campaign begins: Joint Forces Command and the I MEF n The “Great Wheel” begins: XVIII Airborne Corps n The Great Wheel’s heavy metal: VII Corps n The withdrawal order n Battles with the Republican Guard n The liberation of Kuwait City n Endgame 37 THE CAMPAIGN IN RETROSPECT 90 THE BATTLEFIELD TODAY 92 FURTHER READING 93 INDEX 95 INTRODUCTION In 1980, Iraq invaded neighboring Iran, precipitating a bitter eight-year war.

By the end of the 1980s, Iraq was bankrupt, having amassed enormous debts to conduct the war. In 1990, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein began eyeing Iraq’s southern neighbor, the oil-rich country of Kuwait. Iraq had long claimed that Kuwait rightly was part of greater Iraq, often called its “19th Province.” For Saddam, the pillage of Kuwait was a quick fix for Iraq’s crippling economic problems. Iraq began to broadcast hostile propaganda in July 1990 about Kuwait’s alleged perfidious behavior as it ramped up for war.

On July 21, 1990, Iraq began the first steps towards military invasion, moving one of its Republican Guard Forces Command (RGFC) armored divisions to the northern Kuwait border. On August 1, 1990, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) went to WATCHCON I, warning that Iraq would invade Kuwait. Iraq’s August 1990 invasion of Kuwait was a speedy military victory pitting one of the largest Arab armies against one of the smallest.

Kuwait fell in a few days. Saddam’s aggression infuriated neighboring Saudi Arabia, placing the large Iraqi Army within striking distance of Riyadh. An American intelligence assessment warned that Iraq could overrun and secure Kuwait in four days, at which time it could invade Saudi Arabia and reach the port and oil facilities of al-Jubayl in Saudi Arabia in five days.

Iraq’s aggrandizement upset the balance of military power in the Gulf region. This was of worldwide concern due to international dependence on oil supplies from Saudi Arabia and the other countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The Saudi monarchy began negotiations with the United States, Britain, and France to create a coalition to oust Iraq from Kuwait.

On August 4, 1990, US President George H. W. Bush and the US National Security Council decided to begin preparations for a military response.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: e3e9e5a1807a9b9b
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 156,951,247 bytes (149.68 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 98
• Language: English (en)

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