U.S. Navy's Role in the Gulf War: Strategy and Outcome

Background: Cold War Roots and the Road to War

Although many people believe that the current problems in the Middle East can be traced to the end of World War II and the creation of Israel, much of the current conflict can be attributed to the Cold War. In fact, the United States maintained a strong military presence in the Middle East throughout this period. As one account notes, "The continuous, albeit limited, American military presence in the Persian Gulf demonstrated to potential aggressors that in any confrontation they faced the prospect of war with a superpower."

The United States and Russia engaged in a covert struggle over much of the Middle East, and that struggle extended to Iraq, which was Russia's ally during the Cold War. As a result of Cold War tensions and disagreements over key issues — such as the conflict between Israel and Palestine and the role of Egypt — diplomatic relations between Iraq and the United States were both strained and underdeveloped at the beginning of the 1980s. The United States and Iraq briefly became allies after Iraq invaded Iran and started the Iran-Iraq War. One of the stumbling blocks to a successful diplomatic relationship was Iraq's state-sponsored terrorism, but in 1983, Saddam Hussein expelled a well-known terrorist group. As a result, the Reagan administration began to try to build diplomatic relations with Iraq.

During the Iran-Iraq War, Iraq became deeply indebted to both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, but Iraq had problems paying its debts and wanted Kuwait to cancel them. Moreover, Iraq and Kuwait were involved in a dispute over Iraq's allegations that Kuwait was exceeding OPEC oil production quotas. Iraq ostensibly sought a diplomatic solution to its disputes with Kuwait, but the two countries were unable to reach an agreement. On August 2, 1990, Iraq began an invasion of Kuwait. Kuwait was unprepared for the invasion, and Iraq quickly conquered the country.

Both the UN Security Council and the Arab League sought diplomatic resolutions to the conflict, and the UN quickly instituted economic sanctions against Iraq. Iraq began denouncing Saudi Arabia, and the United States launched a campaign, Operation Desert Shield, to prevent Iraq from invading Saudi Arabia. The UN established Resolution 678, which gave Iraq a deadline of January 15, 1991, to withdraw from Kuwait. Iraq refused to withdraw, and coalition forces attacked.

The Start of the Coalition Offensive

On January 17, 1991, the coalition forces — predominantly composed of American troops — launched an offensive against Iraq. The coalition began by taking out Iraq's radar capabilities and communications devices, and then bombed Baghdad. Coalition forces also struck other targets in Iraq, including government buildings, communications facilities, and media outlets. Air strikes played an extremely important role in the first Gulf War. "The first planes to bomb Baghdad in the early morning darkness were U.S. Air Force F-117s. The radar-evading stealth aircraft were both the embodiment of superior U.S. weapons technology, and the harbinger of a new high-tech war."

References

Atkinson, R. (1993). Crusade: The untold story of the Persian Gulf War: Chronology. Retrieved October 3, 2009, from Frontline. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/gulf/cron/

Marolda, E. (2001). The United States Navy and the Persian Gulf. Retrieved October 3, 2009, from the Naval Historical Center.

McIntyre, J. (2001). Tenth anniversary of the Gulf War: A look back. Retrieved October 3, 2009, from CNN.

Shenon, P. (1991). War in the Gulf: Rescue; Navy pilot is plucked from Iraqi desert. The New York Times. Retrieved October 3, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/22/world/war-in-the-gulf-rescue-navy-pilot-is-plucked-from-iraqi-desert.html