Document Page: First | Prev | Next | All | Image | This Release | Search

opportunity to give you a status report on Operation Desert Shield.  Since

Au gust and President Bush's decision to commit forces to the region, our

deployment of land, sea, and air forces to the Persian Gulf has proceeded

apace.  Today, I plan to describe in some detail that truly remarkable

deployment effort, summarize the support we are receiving from the rest

of the multinational coalition arrayed against Iraq, discuss the coalition

itself and the current status of other measures we have undertaken to

persuade Saddam to withdraw from Kuwait--foremost being the economic

sanctions regime--and provide an assessment of Iraqi forces and

capabilities in and around Kuwait.  I also plan to give you my assessment

of US forces involved in Desert Shield.


Initial Mission  and Deployments


      On 6 August, 4 days after 140,000 Iraqi soldit;rs brutally invaded

Kuwait and appeared to be driving onward toward Saudi Arabia, Secretary

Cheney met with Saudi King Fahd to assess the situation and brief the King

on what support the United States could provide.   Subsequently, King Fahd

requested US assistance to protect and defend his country and, on 7
August, at the direction of the President, US forces began deploying to the

region.  All initial and subsequent US military deployments have been

undertaken in support of US national security objectives as clearly laid out

by Secretary Cheney in his statement.


      As you know, the first and most critical threat we had to face

following the invasion was that the Iraqi army might continue into Saudi

Document Page: First | Prev | Next | All | Image | This Release | Search