Definition: Operation Desert Shield was the operational name of the military defense, by a 30-nation force led by the United States, of Saudi Arabia and its oil installations following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on Aug. 2, 1990.
President George H.W. Bush ordered U.S. troops to Saudi Arabia beginning Aug. 7, 1990. "Our nation," he said, "now imports nearly half the oil it consumes and could face a major threat to its economic independence" if Saudi Arabia was attacked. The military build-up of Operation Desert Shield would eventually reach 500,000 troops.
Operation Desert Shield ended on Jan. 17, 1991, when, at 3 a.m. Saudi Arabian time, it was replaced by Operation Desert Storm, the military offensive against Iraq's forces in Kuwait and thousands of targets in Iraq proper.
Also Known As: Gulf War I
