COMMAND CHRONOLOGY FOR 1 DEC 31 DEC 1990

File: 102496_sep96_decls13_0008.txt
Page: 0008
Total Pages: 17

Subject: COMMAND CHRONOLOGY FOR 1 DEC 31 DEC 1990                        

Unit: 1 MEF       

Parent Organization: FMF PAC     

Box ID: BX600009

Folder Title: COMMAND CHRONOLOGY 1ST MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE DEC 1990 FOLDER 2                             

Document Number:          3

Folder SEQ  #:          5



                         UNCLASSIFIED
               for these contingencies was in progress at the end of the month. (Note: see the supplement of
               this Command Chronology for the planning evolution and specifics of these plans and
               Operation Desert Storm.)

                                   91 I MU. To achieve sufficient force for offensive operations, the National
               CON                 y had earlier ordered the reinforcement of CENTCOM. MARCENT's
               reinforcing forces were to include a substantial portion of Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic's 11
               MEF assets. These included the 2nd Marine Division and major portions of the Second Marine
               Air Wing, the Second Force Service Support Group, and the Second Surveillance,
               Reconnaissance, and Intelligence Group. I MEF thus became the largest Marine force
               assembled since the Vietnam War. Reinforcements also included some 80 units of the Selected
               Marine Corps Reserve, most of which were activated during December. Beginning in the
               second week of December, the reinforcing elements of N MEF began arriving in theater. The
               Second Marine Division command element was established in the I MEF area of responsibility
               on 14 December.

                 (S) @ Df British Division f= MARCENT. Up to the middle of December, the integration
               of British forces into all levels of MARCENT of British forces had gone exceedingly well. The
               assets of the I Armoured Division had been an integral part of LtGen Boomer's concept of
               offensive operations. The British forces constituted more than a third of his combat power,
               particularly in main battle tanks and artillery. It was therefore of serious concern to LtGen
               Boomer when, on 17 December, he was notified by Gen Schwarzkopf that the British division
with CENTCOM's main attack. Despite this,
               at the end of the month, virtually all British forces were still in the I MEF area of
               responsibility. For the time being, however, only 7 Armoured Brigade actually remained under
               LtGen Boomer's tactical control. In a defensive contingency, some other British units, mainly 4
               Mechanised Brigade, would also have come under his control.

                               Addition Qf ARCENT BriLade IQ MARCENT, To partially make up for the
               transfer of the British division, Gen Schwarzkopf informed LtGen Boomer that he could plan
               on having ARCENT's Ist Brigade ("Tiger Brigade") of the 2nd Armored Division attached to
               MARCENT. A comparison of tanks and artillery revealed that the approximately 170 British
               Challenger tanks would be replaced by 116 MAIA tanks while 72 British 155 mm guns would
               be replaced with only 24 M109 self-propelled 155 mm guns. A further troubling issue was the
               logistics of the brigade; whereas the British forces had been essentially self-supporting apart
               from food and water, the Tiger Brigade had no similar logistic support. Neither could the
               brigade bring with it the equivalent of a third of an Army division's communications and
               intelligence assets since some of these assets were not divisible. The communications and
               logistics issues led to a command and control dispute. To mitigate these problems, CINCCENT
               proposed that the brigade be placed under MARCENT's operational control, but supported by
               ARCENT. As this was being discussed between the MARCENT and CINCCENT staffs, LtGen
               John G. Yeosock USA, COMUSARCENT was mistakenly concerned that the brigade's
               integrity would he violated by MARCENT. LtGen Yeosock therefore requested that it only be
 Even though LtGen Boomer had no intention of
               breaking up the brigade, the issue of control was unresolved at the end of the month.

                    MARCENT-ARCENT Boundga @- Expanded MARCENT A= Df Responsibilily IQ






                                                     UNCLASSIFIED

Document 17 f:/Week-35/BX600009/COMMAND CHRONOLOGY 1ST MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE DEC 1990 FOLDER 2/command chronology for 1 dec 31 dec 1990:10119615450314
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-35
Box ID = BX600009
Unit = 1 MEF
Parent Organization = FMF PAC
Folder Title = COMMAND CHRONOLOGY 1ST MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE DEC 1990 FOLDER 2
Folder Seq # = 5
Subject = COMMAND CHRONOLOGY FOR 1 DEC 31 DEC 1990
Document Seq # = 3
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 11-OCT-1996