On 3 October 1994, Company C, Second Battalion,
5th Special Forces Group (Airborne); (C/2/5 SFG(A)); was deployed on IRIS GOLD 95-1 for presences forward and pre-mission training with selected elements of the
Kuwait Ministry of Defence. The training mission rapidly transitioned to defense of
Kuwait operation establishing a Combat Air Support (CAS) umbrella over the entire northern third of the State of Kuwait employing five each Special Forces, A-Teams, task organized and deploying 15
forward air control (FAC) Teams. Over a 16-day period C/2/5 SFG (A) provided; composition and disposition of all forces arrayed in the Kuwait Defense Plan (KDP); de-confliction of the main battle area; anti-fratricide capability; and real time ground truth in the battle space. C/2/5 SFG (A) maintained the CAS umbrella continuously until elements of 1st Brigade of the
24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) arrived in Kuwait and established an operational capability on or about 19 October 1994. Operational Outcome:
Army Pre-positioned Stocks (APS) concept could not adequately respond to tactical threats emerging in the
Persian Gulf area. Strategic Outcome: The Strategic Operational gap analysis indicated in order to protect U.S. National Interest on the Arabian Peninsula; requires establishment of a
U.S. Army brigade combat team (BCT) in the State of Kuwait. On the evening of 7 October 1994, 1st Brigade of the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) based at
Fort Stewart, Georgia, went on alert. The following day, lead elements of that Brigade, consisting of several line companies each from the 2/7 Infantry Battalion and 3/69 Armor Battalion and 1/41 Field Artillery Battalion plus the 2/7 Infantry Battalion Headquarters deployed by air on orders to
Camp Doha, Kuwait. Those elements completed the air movement within 48 hours. Within 72 hours, that reinforced brigade drew pre-positioned equipment stored at Camp Doha. In addition two
Patriot missile batteries from
Fort Polk, Louisiana, were dispatched to theater. On 8 October,
1st Force Service Support Group (FSSG),
I Marine Expeditionary Force, was put on alert. The 1st FSSG Forward (FWD) was manned up to deploy as the lead element for the 1st FSSG. The FSSG FWD deployed 120 Marines and equipment from
March Air Force Base, California, to
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, via
U.S. Air Force (USAF) cargo aircraft on 28 October 1994. The unit then traveled north by convoy to the
port of Jubail. At the same time, the
3rd Brigade, 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) deployed from
Fort Benning,
Georgia, to the
port of Ad-Dammam, which would draw pre-positioned afloat equipment. Also on 8 October, the USAF
23rd Wing's
75th Fighter Squadron Tigersharks and its full complement of
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft initially deployed from
Pope AFB, North Carolina to
Dhahran AB, Saudi Arabia, followed by the first forward deployment to
Ahmed al Jabber AB, Kuwait. This allowed better face-to-face coordination with
Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) assets further forward deployed at Camp Doha, Kuwait, and points North. They initiated the first of a series of 120-day rotations for the A-10 community that continued until operation
Iraqi Freedom commenced. The United Kingdom's contribution was two
Royal Navy warships, and , doubling their deployment of
Royal Air Force Tornado GR1 combat aircraft (originally six) and increasing their troop numbers to 1,000. Elements of
45 Commando Royal Marines were airlifted into Kuwait. The Commandos operated alongside the 1st Brigade of 24th Infantry Division. Iraq recalled its ground forces during the last weeks of October. With no remaining need for the combat troops, retrograde began within a few days. The Marines departed from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on 5 November 1994. Much of the 24th Infantry Division turned in the pre-positioned equipment and rotated out of Kuwait before Thanksgiving Day, but trail elements remained until the first days of December. ==Debate over Iraqi intentions==