Gulf War III - How successful was Operation Desert Storm Could it have Essay

Gulf War III - How successful was Operation Desert Storm Could it have achieved more How joint was it - Essay Example Moreover it was the case that Iraq stated that they would bombard Israel with rockets should there be any military incursions into the nation of Iraq. So if based upon the parameters of liberating Kuwait, protecting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and protecting Israel than the operation would have been considered a complete success. However, one could argue that there were a number of ancillary objectives such as overthrowing Saddam Hussein, or the liberation of Kurdistan. And taken from this perspective the military incursion would have not been considered an overall success. As a final point, one could also make the argument that one additional objective as argued by Gordon & Trainor (1995) was for the US to demonstrate their military muscle in the middle east. Effectively showcasing their new military technology and superior leadership by Schwarzkopf and Powell. As a result of this action a significant military power in the Middle East had their entire military industrial complex nea rly annihilated. If viewed as a stand alone engagement, it could have been argued that the military engagement could have achieved more insofar as the United States later engaged in hostile action with the nation of Iraq during the second gulf war.