There are two major was that affected the United States and the Gulf. Both of these wars were initiated for similar reasons and between the same countries. These wars resulted in major political, economic and social consequences for both countries with the final result being the fall of Iraq (Haass, 2015) . The first Gulf war of 1991 was recorded as the major predicament for the United States after the end of the Cold War. It was dubbed Operation Desert Shield. The dictatorial leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, ordered his army to invade Kuwait in 1990 based on the speculation that Kuwait stole oil from an Iraq oil field and that it had been a territory of Iraq. Military action was sought and granted to ensure the eviction of Iraq from Kuwait. The second invasion and Gulf war was referred to as Operation Desert Storm whereby 35 nations waged war on Iraq under the leadership of the United States. The two wars can be compared and contrasted concerning the position of the United Nation, the United States and other involved states.
Comparative analysis
Military readiness and threats in both wars
Operation Desert Shield, 1991, and Operation Desert Storm, 2001, were crisis response operations when the analysis is made to the military readiness and tactics made by the United States and other participating parties. The 1991 military action was as a result of a threat from Scuds. The invasion of Kuwait was a more dominant reason for the involvement of states concerned with the liberation of a weak and defenceless country. The role of the US in the situation was to reverse the invasion of Kuwait. Military defence operations were centred in major cities that supported combatant forces in breaching operations. Attacks were made from such cities with little or no integration networks. However, in the 2003 military action, there was an integrated and well-built defence mechanism and network that allowed easy movement of troops into Iraq. The effectiveness and efficiency of this systems were guaranteed by the fact that they were exercised and tested constantly prior to the invasion. Therefore, the 2003 military action came from cruise missiles and short-range systems that Iraq was assumed to hold as compared to the threat of modified Scuds by Iraq in 1991.
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Missiles Launched under both wars
The number of missiles launched under the two wars was significantly different. The Gulf war of 1991 saw the launch of 93 missiles against the countries that have a coalition with the US. The United States government claimed that it interrupted approximately 40% of missiles that targeted Israel and 79% of missiles that were targeting Saudi Arabia. However, a report that showed that only 9% of the claims could be confirmed was released. The government did not offer evidence to account for the remaining missiles. However, in 2003, Iraq launched a total of 19 missiles. Seventeen of these missiles were ballistic missiles whereas two were cruise missiles (Olsen, 2013) . All the 17 ballistic missiles were diverted whereas the two cruise missiles dodged their interception. The role of the United States in the situation was to intercept and report missile activities as a way of protecting the members of its coalition during the war. Other states were also tasked with the mandate of intercepting missiles. The coalition resulted in a stronger force that saw the destruction of the Iranian government. Therefore, the types and number of missiles launched under both wars were dissimilar.
Technological difference
The 1991 military actions used different receivers as compared to the actions in 2003. Small and light GPS receivers, Global Positioning Satellite receivers were used in 1991 (Adams, 2012) . The receivers were available in small numbers, and therefore communication among soldiers was difficult. They were majorly restricted to the tactical units, and the soldiers had a hard time removing them from the units. Military long-haul communications were used. However, the long-haul technology was substituted with Tactical Event reporting Systems, TERS, which facilitated communication. The US had an easier way to warn against Iraqi missile attacks. Communication improved to a great extent in the second Gulf War.
Political situation in Iraq in 1991 and 2003
The military actions taken in Iraq came political situations. In 1991, the locals welcomed the US soldiers as liberators under a dictatorial ruler. Most of the Iranians were defectors of the current government and were motivated by the fact that they sought the removal of President Saddam Hussein from power. The political environment of Iraq favoured the first military action by the United States. By the end of the 1991 war, soldiers of Iraq started to rebelled since they had no clue on the reason why they attacked Kuwait. Most of the civilians joined the military personnel and became aware of the coalition of 28 countries that were against them. The 2003 invasion saw the soldiers change is perspective whereby they saw the situation as an invasion of non-Muslim countries that led to the death of most Iraqis. Most of these Iraqis preferred Saddam over an invasion of foreigners. They held America responsible for the degradation of their living standards. The people of Iraq, at this time, did not support the 2003 military action against their country. The people’s loyalty to Iraq had grown immensely. In addition, the Americans were not in favour of the war because of its costs (Purcell, 2014) . There were different public debates on costs and American casualties. The public was opting for the removal of the soldiers in the War. The United States had a harder time suppressing the situation in the country in the second military action.
Training of armies
In 1991, the soldiers that were deployed to the Iraq war had little training. Most of the US soldiers were deployed from the Army Space Program Office and Army Space Institute as members of the chosen task force. Iraq, on the other hand, had soldiers that constituted the Colorado National Guard unit and the Space Battalion. The soldiers were either students or soldiers that dealt with communication networks and systems. Their training was formalized and they did not have enough experience in war. However, in 2003, the involvement of the Force Development Integration Centre, FDIC, and the Training and Doctrine Command, TRADOC, led to the significant training of armies and forces that were sent to war in Iraq. The soldiers were well prepared for the Iraq war (Heinrich, 2015) . During the war, space-based systems were integrated, and there was a creation of a new Military Occupational Specialty with a joint doctrine among members of the US coalition.
Conclusion
The invasion of Kuwait, the assertion that Saddam Hussein was in access to Weapons of Mass Destruction (Jakobsen, 2012) and that he supported terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda led to a rational security reasoning that resulted in the invasion of Iraq and the Gulf Wars. A comparative analysis can be made between the two wars in terms of the training of armies, the political situation in Iraq in 1991 and 2003, technological advancements, the number and type of missiles launched under both wars, and military readiness in both wars.
References
Adams, J. (2012). A comparative analysis of Operation Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. Master Thesis: Virginia.
Haass, R. N. (2015). Desert Storm, the Last Classic War. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/desert-storm-the-last-classic-war-1438354990
Heinrich, M. N. (2015, March 9). One War many Reasons: The US Invasion of Iraq . Retrieved from E-International Relations: http://www.e-ir.info/2015/03/09/one-war-many-reasons-the-us-invasion-of-iraq/
Jakobsen, T. G. (2012). Why Did the United States Invade Iraq in 2003?
Olsen, J. A. (2013). Strategic air power in Desert Storm. Routledge.
Purcell, R. (2014). War, Costs, and Expectations: Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom.
