This report highlights the role of the
U.S. Navy in conjunction with the nation's
other maritime forces - the Marine Corps and
CoastGuard in DESERTSHIELD/STORM.
But neither of those operations could have
been accomplished without the full participa-
tion of all services. Each service brought its
strengths and special operational capabilities
to bear as the situation required. The result
was the most complex, fast-moving, success-
ful, major joint power projection operation in
history.

    The six ships of the Middle East Force
were on station in the Persian Gulf when the
President decided to deploy additional forces
to Southwest Asia beginning 7 August. The
INDEPENDENCE battle group had steamed
into strike range in the North Arabian Sea, and
the EISENHOWER battle group was transit-
ing the Suez Canal to the Red Sea within strike
range of fraq. When United Nations sanctions
were imposed, the U.S. Navy immediately
commenced interception operations against
ships headed to and from Iraq and Kuwait.

    We may never learn the extent to which
on-scene naval forces influenced Saddam
Hussein to stop short of invading Saudi Arabia.
We do know that the sustainable combat capa-
bility and control of the sea provided by those
naval forces afforded protection for the intro-
duction of ground and air forces arriving in
theater in response to deployment orders.

    The Navy's ability to control the seas

was taken for granted, as it has been since 1945.
That control makes it possible for us to deliver
our troops and supplies safely to any area of
conflict. The maritime superiority which en-
abled our victory was made possible by earlier
sound investments in people, ships, aircraft
and weapons systems. DESERT SHIELD I
STORM demonstrated again that sea control is
fundamental to successful power projection.
Because naval forces were on station and ready,
we were never seriously challenged, and sea
control was assured from the outset.

    Maritime superiority and forward de-
ployment gave us another edge in DESERT
SHIELD/STORM. Only a nation possessing
both unquestioned control of the seas and
significant experience operating in forward
areas in close cooperation with the naval forces
of our coalition partners could have provided
the leadership for 23 nations whose naval forces
participated. The ability of the U.S. Navy to
operate effectively with so many other navies
did not come quickly or easily. It was built
over forty years of close cooperation with the
navies of NATO and other allies. Familiarity
with the geography and local navies was gained
through a continuous presence in the Gulf
since 1949. During the Persian Gulf "Tanker
War" of 1987-88, the U.S. vividly demonstrated
its military and political staying power to even
the most skeptical critics within the Arab world.
Operation EARNEST WILL laid the foundation
for DESERT SHIELD/STORM.

    Multinational naval cooperation was