THE UNITED STATES NAVY
                       IN "DESERT SHIELD" I "DESERT STORM"

     I.   OVERVIEW
          THE ROLE OF THE NAVY
           "...My administration, as has been the case with every President from President
     Roosevelt to President Reagan, is committed to the security and stability of the Persian Gulf."

           --  President George Bush
               Address to the Nation
               8 August 1990


           "Our action in the Gulf is about fighting aggression and preserving the sovereignty of
     nations. It is about keeping our word, our solemn word of honor, and standing by old friends.
     It is about our own national security interests and ensuring the peace and stability of the entire
     world."

           --  President George Bush
               Remarks to Pentagon Employees
               15 August 1990


           "When a crisis confronts the nation, the first question often asked by policymakers is:
     WIiat naval forces are available and how fast can they be on station?"

           --  Admiral C.A.H. Trost, USN
               Chief of Naval Operations
                           May 1990


OVERVIEW. After the world's fourth largest         multinational naval force.
army poured across the border into Kuwait on
2 August 1990, the United States deployed a              At the time of the invasion, the Navy
major joint force which served as the founda-      was already on station in the region. The ships
tion for a powerful 33-nation military coalition   of Joint Task Force Middle East, a legacy of U.S.
to stem Iraq's brutal aggression. The United       Navy presence in the Persian Gulf since 1949,
States Navy provided the sea control and mari-     were immediately placed on alert.  Battle
time superiority which paved the way for the       groups led by USS INDEPENDENCE (CV 62)
introduction of U.S. and allied air and ground     and USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN
forces, and offered strong leadership for the      69) sped from the Indian Ocean and Eastern


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