Kuwait and its Armed Forces

In the aftermath of the 1990 Iraqi invasion and occupation of Kuwait, followed by the 1991 liberation of the Shaykhdom that necessitated an international political–military coalition that deployed over half-a-million soldiers, sailors and airmen throughout the Arabian Peninsula, Kuwait required a complete makeover of its national security system because, and stated without prejudice or malice, the country’s political–military establishment had failed to defend it. Despite billions of dollars spent on acquiring advanced weapons systems and the Al Sabah ruling family’s decades-long efforts to accummulate regional and international alliances that sought to keep foes at a distance and usher