Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait in the summer of 1990, after talks broke down over oil production and debt repayment.

In January 1991 the US launched a devastating air assault against military targets in Iraq and Kuwait. The ground war started within a month. In a lightning-fast campaign, U.S. and coalition forces smashed through Iraq's defenses and defeated Saddam Hussein's troops in only four days of combat, pushing them out of Kuwait. 532,000 U.S. forces served in Operation Desert Storm.