<P> Soon after his conquest of Kuwait, Saddam began verbally attacking the Saudis . He argued that the US - supported Saudi state was an illegitimate and unworthy guardian of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina . He combined the language of the Islamist groups that had recently fought in Afghanistan with the rhetoric Iran had long used to attack the Saudis . </P> <P> Acting on the Carter Doctrine's policy, and out of fear the Iraqi Army could launch an invasion of Saudi Arabia, US President George Bush quickly announced that the US would launch a "wholly defensive" mission to prevent Iraq from invading Saudi Arabia under the codename Operation Desert Shield . Operation Desert Shield began on 7 August 1990 when US troops were sent to Saudi Arabia due also to the request of its monarch, King Fahd, who had earlier called for US military assistance . This "wholly defensive" doctrine was quickly abandoned when, on 8 August, Iraq declared Kuwait to be Iraq's 19th province and Saddam named his cousin, Ali Hassan Al - Majid, as its military - governor . </P> <P> The US Navy dispatched two naval battle groups built around the aircraft carriers USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and USS Independence to the Persian Gulf, where they were ready by 8 August . The US also sent the battleships USS Missouri and USS Wisconsin to the region . A total of 48 US Air Force F - 15s from the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, landed in Saudi Arabia, and immediately commenced round the clock air patrols of the Saudi--Kuwait--Iraq border to discourage further Iraqi military advances . They were joined by 36 F - 15 A-Ds from the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing at Bitburg, Germany . The Bitburg contingent was based at Al Kharj Air Base, approximately an hour south east of Riyadh . The 36th TFW would be responsible for 11 confirmed Iraqi Air Force aircraft shot down during the war . There were also two Air National Guard units stationed at Al Kharj Air Base, the South Carolina Air National Guard's 169th Fighter Wing flew bombing missions with 24 F - 16s flying 2,000 combat missions and dropping 4 million pounds of munitions, and the New York Air National Guard's 174th Fighter Wing from Syracuse flew 24 F - 16s on bombing missions . Military buildup continued from there, eventually reaching 543,000 troops, twice the number used in the 2003 invasion of Iraq . Much of the material was airlifted or carried to the staging areas via fast sealift ships, allowing a quick buildup . </P> <P> A series of UN Security Council resolutions and Arab League resolutions were passed regarding Iraq's invasion of Kuwait . One of the most important was Resolution 678, passed on 29 November 1990, which gave Iraq a withdrawal deadline until 15 January 1991, and authorized "all necessary means to uphold and implement Resolution 660", and a diplomatic formulation authorizing the use of force if Iraq failed to comply . </P>

Iraq invasion of kuwait & 1st gulf war (1990)