Expeditionary· Gulf War (Op DESERT SHIELD/STORM)
Operation DESERT SHIELD
Operation DESERT SHIELD was the defensive buildup phase that followed Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, when the United States and its coalition partners rushed forces to Saudi Arabia to deter a further Iraqi push toward the Saudi oil fields.
The Marines were central to the rapid response: drawing on the Maritime Prepositioning ships, whose pre-loaded equipment allowed a brigade to be married up with airlifted troops and put into the field with extraordinary speed, the 7th Marine Expeditionary Brigade and follow-on forces established a defensive line in the Saudi desert. Over the following months the Marine presence grew into a powerful air-ground force as the coalition assembled the combat power for an eventual offensive. DESERT SHIELD was a period of defense, acclimatization, and relentless preparation, the Marines adapting to desert warfare and integrating with Saudi and other coalition forces while the diplomatic effort to reverse the invasion ran its course.
Record no. 725