Gulf War III - How successful was Operation Desert Storm Could it have achieved more How joint was it - Essay Example

Gulf War III The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical discussion on Operation Desert Storm. The format that this paper will utilize is to first discuss the overall success of the military engagement followed by a discussion on whether or not the operation could have achieved more. After this point the issue of whether or not the operation was “joint” will be conducted. The issue of whether or not Operation Desert Storm was successful depends on the overall mission objectives. After the initial Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, it became clear that Iraq could also have posed a threat to Saudi Arabia.

Moreover it was the case that Iraq stated that they would bombard Israel with rockets should there be any military incursions into the nation of Iraq. So if based upon the parameters of liberating Kuwait, protecting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and protecting Israel than the operation would have been considered a complete success. However, one could argue that there were a number of ancillary objectives such as overthrowing Saddam Hussein, or the liberation of Kurdistan. And taken from this perspective the military incursion would have not been considered an overall success.

As a final point, one could also make the argument that one additional objective as argued by Gordon & Trainor (1995) was for the US to demonstrate their military muscle in the middle east. Effectively showcasing their new military technology and superior leadership by Schwarzkopf and Powell. As a result of this action a significant military power in the Middle East had their entire military industrial complex nearly annihilated. If viewed as a stand alone engagement, it could have been argued that the military engagement could have achieved more insofar as the United States later engaged in hostile action with the nation of Iraq during the second gulf war.

However as stated earlier, the United States and their coalition partners could have achieved more but that may have brought with it additional risks. In regards to how joint the operation was, it could be argued that Operation Desert Storm was a far more 'joint' operation over the second gulf conflict. The reasoning behind this is that significant military, logistical and information technologies were contributed by major western powers such as Great Britain, Canada, France etc. However it could also be argued that much of the actual 'Grunt' work was indeed completed by members of the United States Armed Forces.

References Trainor, G & Gordon, M (1995) The Generals': The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf. Back Bay Books.