Australian contribution to the 1991 Gulf War
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/* Operation Provide Comfort/Operation Habitat (16 May 1991 – 30 June 1991) */
[[Image:HMAS_Sydney_1991.jpg|250px|thumb|[[HMAS Sydney (FFG 03)|HMAS ''Sydney'']] in the Persian Gulf in 1991. Note radar absorbent matting fitted to the side of the ship.]]
[[Australia]] was a member of the international coalition which contributed military forces to the [[Gulf War|1991 Gulf War]], also known as Operation Desert Storm and The Persian Gulf War. While the Australian forces did not see combat, they did play a significant role in enforcing the [[International sanctions|sanctions]] put in place against [[Iraq]] following the invasion of [[Kuwait]], as well as other small support contributions to Operation Desert Storm.
==Overview==
Australia’s contribution to the 1991 Persian Gulf War centred around a Naval Task Group which formed part of the multi-national fleet in the [[Persian Gulf]] and [[Gulf of Oman]]. In addition, medical teams were deployed aboard a US [[hospital ship]] and a [[Clearance Diving Team (RAN)|naval clearance diving team]] took part in de-mining Kuwait’s port facilities at the end of the war.
Following the end of the War Australia deployed a medical unit to northern Iraq as part of [[Operation Provide Comfort]]. Royal Australian Navy warships [[List of recent Australian warship deployments to the Middle East|were periodically deployed to the Persian Gulf]] to enforce sanctions against Iraq until the [[2003 Invasion of Iraq]].
While there were proposals to deploy other units (including an apparent US request for [[F-111|RF-111]] reconnaissance aircraft) these proposals came to nothing and no [[Australian Army]] or [[Royal Australian Air Force]] combat units were deployed. While some publications suggest that the [[Australian Special Air Service Regiment]] took part in the war, this is not correct (though the SAS was brought to a higher state of readiness and a very small number of personnel on exchange to the British SAS saw action).
==Royal Australian Navy==
'''Operation Damask I ([[6 September]] [[1990]] – [[3 December]] [[1990]])'''
Task Group 627.4
* [[HMAS Adelaide (FFG 01)|HMAS ''Adelaide'']]
**1 [[S-70|S-70B-2 Seahawk]], [[816 Squadron RAN|SITU]] and 1 [[AS-350BA Squirrel]], [[723 Squadron RAN|723 Squadron]]
*[[HMAS Darwin (FFG 04)|HMAS ''Darwin'']]
**1 S-70B-2 Seahawk, SITU and 1 AS-350BA Squirrel, 723 Squadron
*[[HMAS Success (AOR-304)|HMAS ''Success'']] (6 September 1990 – 25 January 1991)
**Detachment, 111 Battery (Light), [[16th Air Defence Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery|16th Air Defence Regiment]]
**1 AS-350BA Squirrel, 723 Squadron
'''Operation Damask II ([[3 December]] [[1990]] – [[28 May]] [[1991]])'''
Task Group 627.4
*[[HMAS Brisbane (D-41)|HMAS ''Brisbane'']] (until [[26 March]] [[1991]])
*[[HMAS Sydney (FFG 03)|HMAS ''Sydney'']] (until [[26 March]] [[1991]])
**1 S-70B-2 Seahawk, SITU, 1 AS-350BA Squirrel, 723 Squadron
*[[HMAS Westralia (O 195)|HMAS ''Westralia'']] ([[26 January]] [[1991]] – June [[1991]])
**Detachment, 111 Battery (Light), [[16th Air Defence Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery|16th Air Defence Regiment]]
'''Operation Damask III ([[13 June]] [[1991]] – [[4 September]] [[1991]])'''
*[[HMAS Darwin (FFG 04)|HMAS ''Darwin'']]
**1 S-70B-2 Seahawk, [[816 Squadron RAN|816 Squadron]] and 1 AS-350BA Squirrel, 723 Squadron
'''Other Deployments'''
*Logistic Support Element (Muscat, Oman)
**Logistic Support Detachment Bahrain
**Logistic Support Detachment Dubai
'''Task Group Medical Support Elements (served aboard [[USNS Comfort (T-AH-20)|USS Comfort]])'''
*TGMSE 1 ([[13 September]] [[1990]] – [[4 January]] [[1991]])
*TGMSE 2 ([[31 December]] [[1990]] – [[15 March]] [[1991]])
*TGMSE 3 ([[13 January]] [[1991]] – [[15 March]] [[1991]])
Clearance Diving Team 3 operated in the theatre from [[27 January]] [[1991]] to [[10 May]] [[1991]]. It was involved in mine clearing operations in Kuwait from [[5 March]] to [[19 April]] [[1991]].
==Royal Australian Air Force==
RAAF [[C-130]] aircraft from [[No. 36 Squadron RAAF|No. 36]] and [[No. 37 Squadron RAAF|No. 37]] Squadrons provided a shuttle service between Australia and the Persian Gulf. [[Boeing 707]] aircraft from [[No. 33 Squadron RAAF|No. 33 Squadron]] and VIP aircraft from [[No. 34 Squadron RAAF|No. 34 Squadron]] also flew to the Middle East.
A small team of RAAF photo-interpreters was posted to Saudi Arabia. Intelligence analysts from the RAAF and [[Defence Intelligence Organisation]] were also posted to Saudi Arabia.
==Australian Army==
The only formed Australian Army units to participate in the Persian Gulf War were anti-aircraft missile teams from the [[16th Air Defence Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery]] who, equipped with [[RBS 70]] missiles, provided point defence to HMAS ''Success'' and HMAS ''Westralia''. A small number of Australians (mainly Army officers) on exchange to US and British units saw action in the Persian Gulf with those units.
==Operation Provide Comfort/Operation Habitat (16 May 1991 – 30 June 1991)==
The Australian Army and Air Force provided personnel to Operation Habitat, the Australian contribution to [[Operation Provide Comfort]], the delivery of humanitarian aid to Kurds living in the UN-declared exclusion zone in northern Iraq. [http://www.defence.gov.au/raaf/history/airforce_history/gulfwar.htm]
*Australian Medical Unit (Gir-I-Pit , Northern Iraq)
**Headquarters and Administrative Support Group
**Four Medical Teams
**Dental Team
**Preventative Medical Section
**Engineer Section
==References==
*Australian War Memorial. [http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/gulf.htm Gulf War 1990-1991]
*Commander J.P. Hodgman (editor) (1991). Australia’s Navy 1991–92. Australian Department of Defence. Canberra.
*Tony Holmes. ‘Tiger Squadron’ in Australian Aviation. July 2005/No. 218. Phantom Media. Canberra.
*David Horner (1992). The Gulf Commitment. The Australian Defence Force’s First War. Melbourne University Press. Melbourne.
*David Horner (1995). The Gunners. A History of Australian Artillery. Allen & Unwin. Sydney.
*Peter Londey (2004). Other People’s Wars. A History of Australian Peacekeeping. Allen & Unwin. Sydney.
*Department of Veterans Affairs (2003). [http://www.dva.gov.au/media/publicat/2003/gulfwarhs/html/contents.htm Australian Gulf War Veterans’ Health Study 2003]. (specifically, Chapter 2. ‘Australian involvement in the Gulf War’)
* [http://www.defence.gov.au/raaf/history/airforce_history/gulfwar.htm Royal Australian Air Force - Gulf War and Operation Habitat]
{{Australian Military History}}
[[Category:Gulf War]]
[[Category:Military history of Australia]]