The Persian Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War. By the end of the 1980s, military focus began to shift away from the waning Soviet threat and toward other emerging threats around the globe. One of the most significant examples of these threats was Saddam Hussein in Iraq., In August 1990, Iraq invaded and seized the small nation of Kuwait. Under the leadership of President George H.W. Bush, the United States formed a political-military international coalition to combat the Iraqi threat in the Middle East and rapidly deployed U.S. military forces into Saudi Arabia as a deterrent to further Iraqi aggression. The Air Force responded with an unprecedented strategic airlift operation in support of U.S. air and ground forces. The tonnage moved by Air Force lift exceeded in 22 days the amount moved during the 65-week Berlin Airlift., Partnering with both regional and global allies, the combined force first developed Operation Desert Shield, focused on containing the Iraqi movement into Kuwait and building up defenses primarily in Saudi Arabia. Then, with the start of Operation Desert Storm in January 1991, the US Air Force began a highly successful air campaign against Iraq ground forces and air defenses. While the Air Force introduced new stealth technologies in the conflict such as the F-117, most of the fighter and bomber forces were traditional, non-stealthy aircraft. Air combat warriors conducted the first conventional war since the Vietnam War, applying lessons learned during that conflict and employing a new military doctrine. The Gulf War has been called the first "space war," reflecting significant U.S. and allied force reliance on space satellites for communications, early warning of attack, navigation across the featureless desert, intelligence on Iraqi forces, and weather updates., The massive coalition air effort preceded and then reinforced a highly successful and rapid land invasion with extraordinarily light casualties. The combined air and ground coalition in Desert Storm ultimately liberated Kuwait, but Saddam remained in power. The U.S. maintained air forces in the region with Operations Northern and Southern Watch to maintain pressure on Saddam's rule.