First Gulf War, 1990–1991

Iraq invaded its rival oil-exporting neighbour Kuwait on 2 August 1990. The invasion was widely condemned, and four days later the United Nations (UN) Security Council unanimously approved a trade embargo against Iraq. A blockade of Iraq's access to the sea followed within weeks, as the United States assembled a large multinational task force in the Persian Gulf, while another was formed in Saudi Arabia. By the end of 1990 this force numbered some 40,000 troops from 30 countries, though the United States retained its high profile as the dominant partner in the coalition.

In November 1990 the UN Security Council set 15 January 1991 as the deadline for an Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait. On 17 January coalition forces began an air bombardment of Iraq that continued without respite until the war ended 43 days later.

On 24 February 1991, after more than a month of air attacks, the coalition's ground forces moved against Iraqi positions in Kuwait and in Iraq itself. The magnitude and decisiveness of these strikes destroyed what was left of Iraq's capacity to resist. After two days of strikes Baghdad radio announced that Iraq's armed forces had been ordered to withdraw from Kuwait to the positions they had occupied before August 1990. Two days after this order, the coalition ceased hostilities and declared victory. Coalition losses amounted to 166, many by "friendly fire"; at least 100,000 Iraqis had been killed.


Gulf of Oman: an Iraqi motor vessel is intercepted by HMAS Darwin.
AWM P01575.006

Australian forces were deployed in the First Gulf War under the auspices of the UN. The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) provided vessels for the multi-national naval force, which formed an interception force in the Persian Gulf to enforce the UN sanctions. The RAN presence included two frigates and the replenishment ship HMAS Success, which, having no air defences of its own, relied on the army's 16th Air Defence Regiment. In January 1991 the replenishment tanker HMAS Westralia left Fremantle, WA, to relieve Success. Four warships, HMAS Sydney (IV), HMAS Adelaide, HMAS Brisbane, and HMAS Darwin also served tours of duty in the Persian Gulf. During the operational phase of their deployment they formed part of the anti-aircraft screen for the carrier battle groups of the US Navy. A RAN clearance diving team was also dispatched for explosive ordnance and demolition tasks.

In addition to naval units, Australian personnel took part on attachment to various British and American ground formations. A small group of RAAF photo-interpreters was based in Saudi Arabia, together with a detachment from the Defence Intelligence Organisation. Four medical teams were also dispatched at the request of the US. Although the ships and their crews were in danger from mines and possible air attack, Australia's war was relatively uneventful and there were no casualties. At the war's end, 75 Australian personnel were sent to northern Iraq to assist the delivery of humanitarian aid to Kurds living in the UN-declared exclusion zone, while ships of the RAN remained on station, at US request, to maintain trade sanctions.


Gulf of Oman: HMAS Darwin (04) is replenished by HMAS Success (304).
AWM P01575.016

Further information available online:

Sources and further reading:

Peter Dennis, et al., The Oxford companion to Australian military history (Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1995)

J. Bickerton, 43 days: the Gulf War (Melbourne: Text Publishing and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1991)