This is the official USMC history of the First Gulf War, Liberating Kuwait. Every aspect of the historic conflict is covered, including the prelude to the invasion by Iraq and Saddam Hussein, defending Saudi Arabia, the Air War, and the ultimate victory. For the U.S. Marine Corps, the Gulf War was a test of its ability to perform quickly, under pressure, as advertised. A Marine expeditionary force was deployed rapidly and then reinforced, while two Marine expeditionary brigades were also deployed as the Marine Corps continued to support its peacetime commitments. Despite long months of tedium in the desert as the crisis played out, the Marines performed their duties with skill and elan, achieving a remarkable victory against the Iraqi Army in Kuwait and proving the Corps' strategic concepts, most especially the value of the Maritime Prepositioning Force. The impact of the war on American defense policy and the confidence the Gulf War's success gave to the Marine Corps continue to impact today's national security debates. Liberating Kuwait contents: Chapter 1 - Background to a Flashpoint * A Brief History of Iraq * A Brief History of Kuwait * A Brief History of U.S. Persian Gulf Policy * The Iran-Iraq War * The Tanker War * Chapter 2 - Kuwait Invaded * The Decision to Invade Kuwait * The Plan to Invade Kuwait * The Invasion of Kuwait * Marines in the Iraqi and Kuwaiti Embassies * The World's Response * The American Military Response * Chapter 3 - Desert Shield * Marines and Maritime Prepositioning * 7th Marine Expeditionary Brigade * Marines Afloat * A Line in the Sand: Planning to Defend Saudi Arabia * Meeting of Cultures: Marines and Saudis * Chapter 4 - Preparing for War * Imminent Thunder and Amphibious Operations * Happy Holidays from Saudi Arabia * Building an Offensive Capability * Iraq's Defenses * Planning a Storm * Trading Desert Rats for Tigers * Chapter 5 - The Air War * Marine Air in the Assault * 17 January: The First Night * 18 January: The Scuds * 19 to 27 January * Marines and the Air Tasking Order * 28 to 31 January * Chapter 6 - Preludes to al-Khafji * Building Kibrit * Sea Soldier IV * Artillery Raids and Reconnaissance Patrols * Iraq's al-Khafji Plan * Saudi-Marine Relations * Ra's al-Khafji * Coalition Dispositions * 27 to 28 January * Warnings * 29 January * Outposts * Operation Desert Sting * Chapter 7 - The Battle of al-Khafji * Night, 29-30 January. * 30 January. * 31 January * Considerations * Chapter 8 - The Final Preparations * Two Breaches and Shattered Amphibious Dreams * The "Miracle Well" of Khanjar * Artillery Raids, Skirmishes, and Patrols * Marine Air Prepares the Battlefield * Harriers Afloat * Fratricide Issues * Feints and Deceptions * The Battles of 19-23 February * Chapter 9 - Breaking the Saddam Line * 24 February * 25 February * Chapter 10 - Liberating Kuwait * 26 February * 27 February * Chapter 11 - Standing Down after Victory * Cease-Fire * Al-Wafrah Forest and Faylakah Island * Leaving the Desert * A Triumphant Return * Postwar Iraq: Operations Provide Comfort, Northern Watch, and Southern Watch * Reflections Background to a Flashpoint - On 2 August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, sparking the largest armed confrontation in decades as the United States and a Coalition of Western democracies and Arab states demanded that Iraq remove its forces from Kuwait and return to the preinvasion status quo. It was the largest armed conflict to involve the United States since the Vietnam War, and the U.S. Marine Corps was intimately involved with the conflict even before it began.