Atlas of Battles

campaign, Cold War

Operation Desert Shield

Operation Desert Shield was a campaign fought in 1990 at Saudi Arabia; it ran into the following year. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Saudi Arabia. It was part of the Gulf War, which ran from 1990 to 1991. The recorded result: Coalition victory.

See it on the globe Read the article

F-15E Eagle fighter aircraft of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., are parked on an air field during Operation Desert Shield.
F-15E Eagle fighter aircraft of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., are parked on an air field during Operation Desert Shield.. PHAN CHAD VANN, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1990ran into the following year
WhereSaudi Arabia23.717N, 44.117E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeCoalition victory
Part ofGulf War1990 to 1991

Where it sits in the Gulf War

Operation Friction, 1990Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, 1990Battle of Dasman Palace, 1990Operation Desert Shield, 1990Battle of the Bridges, 1990Battle of Failaka, 1990Operation Alfil, 1990Operation Desert Farewell, 19911991 Iraqi missile attacks against Israel, 1991Gulf War air campaign, 1991Iraqi rocket attacks on Saudi Arabia, 1991Attack on Ras Tanura, 1991Battle of Qurah and Umm al Maradim, 1991Battle of Khafji, 1991Battle of Bubiyan, 1991Samurra Air Battle, 1991Amiriyah shelter bombing, 1991Battle of Wadi Al-Batin, 1991Battle of 73 Easting, 1991Battle of Al Busayyah, 1991Battle of Phase Line Bullet, 1991Battle of Norfolk, 1991Battle of Medina Ridge, 1991Battle of Kuwait International Airport, 1991Battle for Jalibah Airfield, 1991Liberation of Kuwait Campaign, 1991Safwan Airfield Standoff, 1991Battle of Rumaila, 199119901991Operation Desert Shield, 1990
28 placed engagements of the Gulf War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1990 (year precision)
to 1991
PlaceSaudi Arabia
23.717N, 44.117E
KindCampaign, Cold War
Territorial changeEstablishment of a demilitarized zone and construction of a separation barrier along the Iraq–Kuwait border
Operation Desert ShieldOperation Desert ShieldAl Quwayiyah100 km23.717N, 44.117E
Placed at Saudi Arabia; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1990

Operation Desert Shield is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 86 in present-day Saudi Arabia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q898487, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Operation Desert Shield, revision 1385402710, read 2026-11-15, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.