Using draft Operations Plan 1002, Defense of the Arabian Peninsula, as a foundation, the United States deployed its forces to guard against further Iraqi aggression in the region and to prepare to expel the Iraqi army from Kuwait. Lasting from 7 August 1990 through 16 January 1991, the deployment became known as Desert Shield.
On 6 August, the JCS ordered the first air units to the Persian Gulf. The 1 TFW, Langley AFB VA, was among the first to deploy. Fourteen hours after takeoff and seven air-to-air refuelings later, the first F-15C aircraft arrived at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on 8 August. While the first deterrent to further Iraqi aggression was in place, the F-15Cs could not claim to be the first American aircraft to arrive in Saudi Arabia; E-3 AWACS and KC-10s claimed this distinction.
Fighter aircraft continued to arrive over the following days and weeks. In the final analysis, however, airlifts contributed most significantly to the success of Operation Desert Shield. Sealift carried the bulk (85 percent) of heavy equipment, while airlifts transported 99 percent of personnel. Daily airlift missions during phase I of Operation Desert Shield fluctuated between 36 and 100. With the kickoff of phase II, the figures swelled even more. In the end, airlifts averaged 17 million ton-miles per day, 10 times that flown during the Berlin Airlift 4 decades before.
Air-refueling capability also proved key; without it, the buildup of forces would have taken significantly longer, imperiling the ultimate success of the mission. Over three quarters of the Air Force KC-10 fleet and almost half of its KC-135s supported US and allied forces. The Air Force created two “air bridges” to support the influx of personnel and materiel. The Pacific Air Bridge was used to support aircraft headed to Diego Garcia, while the Atlantic Air Bridge became the primary air route for aircraft headed to the Gulf.
By the first day of the New Year, thousands of aircraft and almost 350,000 personnel of the US Armed Forces were in place for the coming operation, dubbed Desert Storm. The Air Force dedicated nearly 1,000 of its aircraft, to include 142 F-15s, 168 F-16s, and 36 F-117 Stealth fighters. Reconnaissance, refueling, special operations, bomber, command and control, and airlift aircraft all were in place at bases throughout the region. Approximately 40,000 Air Force personnel were assigned to United States Air Force Central Command (CENTAF). In addition, the US Navy, Army, and Marine Corps provided over 1,000 more aircraft, and the Army added nearly 250,000 troops for the anticipated ground offensive. These figures continued to grow through the start of combat.
Operation Desert Storm—Kuwait and Iraq (1991)
In the early days of Operation Desert Shield, President George Bush, with the support of the UN, set about putting together a coalition of nations to expel Iraq from Kuwait. He was enormously successful. When Operation Desert Storm began on 17 January 1991, air forces from 12 countries allied against Iraqi forces; other nations provided ground forces and logistical support. The coalition was authorized by United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 678 to “use all necessary means” to implement UNSCR 660 requiring Iraq to get out of Kuwait. However, even with the addition of fighting forces from countries throughout the world, the United States provided the bulk of the equipment and personnel, and was the first force to experience combat in Kuwait.
The air war over Iraq began at night. As was the case with Panama a little more than a year before, Air Force special operations forces led the way. Three 20th Special Operations Squadron MH-53J Pave Low helicopters guided nine Army Apache helicopter gunships to Iraqi early warning radar sites south of the Iraqi border. The Pave Lows possessed superior navigation capabilities, and after leading the way to the targets, they broke off, allowing the Army craft to destroy them. Air Force F-15s, EF-111s, and F-117s flew through the gap in radar coverage to attack various targets in Iraq itself, including the capital city of Baghdad. Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from Naval vessels also slammed into the city. Hours after the initial attacks, explosions ripped into areas north of the capital, the result of cruise missiles launched from seven of the oldest aircraft in the Air Force inventory, the B-52, from the 2d Bomb Wing stationed at Barksdale AFB LA. During the course of the war, 68 B-52s from a variety of bases flew missions against Iraqi targets. Although comprising just 3 percent of the coalition’s aircraft, B-52s dropped 30 percent of the total munitions tonnage.
