American Forces Deploy to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf Crisis

Iraq's war with Iran had ended in 1988 with Baghdad deeply indebted to neighboring Gulf states. Saddam Hussein demanded relief from Kuwait and the UAE and accused them of depressing oil prices. These disputes became threats against Kuwait's independence. When invasion followed, members of the Kuwaiti ruling family fled to Saudi Arabia and appealed abroad, making the kingdom both a refuge and a center of coalition diplomacy. [1]

Iraqi forces crossed into Kuwait on 2 August 1990. Soon afterward, American troops began arriving in Saudi Arabia with the kingdom’s agreement, as an international response to the occupation took shape. Operation Desert Shield aimed to protect Saudi territory and deter any further Iraqi advance. [1]

Disputes over debts, oil production, and the border had preceded Iraq’s seizure of Kuwait. Saudi Arabia now provided the territory from which much of the coalition assembled, while the United States supplied its largest military contingent. George H. W. Bush visited the kingdom in November to meet Saudi leaders and American forces. [1] [2]

Iraq refused United Nations demands to withdraw. Coalition air attacks began in January 1991, followed by a ground offensive in February that expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Saudi–American defense cooperation had brought a large foreign force into the kingdom and sustained a military deployment far beyond the scale of earlier agreements. [1]

During the autumn, Washington enlarged its deployment and sought United Nations authority to enforce Iraqi withdrawal. Resolution 678 provided the deadline and authorization around which the coalition prepared for war. [1]

Related Diplomats

1. Bandar bin Sultan Al-Saud [3]

Related Reading

• Saudi Arabia and the United States