Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force
FROM: U.S. AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND
During Operation Desert Storm, space systems provided warfighters with: satellite communications connectivity both in theater and between the battlefield and the continental U.S.; positioning and timing data for ground and air operations and weapons delivery; meteorological data; overhead imagery; and missile warning data
AFSPC Milestone: Operation Desert Storm, space assets active enablers
Air Force Space Command Public Affairs
8/9/2012 - Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. -- As Air Force Space Command approaches its 30th Anniversary on 1 Sep, here is a significant milestone from the command's history...
On 17 January 1991, Operation Desert Storm began and quickly became the first war to actively use space assets as part of military operations. Military space systems became a force enabler for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines.
These systems provided warfighters with: satellite communications connectivity both in theater and between the battlefield and the continental U.S.; positioning and timing data for ground and air operations and weapons delivery; meteorological data; overhead imagery; and missile warning data. The information obtained from space-based systems helped military planners see what Saddam Hussein could not see, and gave coalition forces the "high ground" to drive Iraqi forces from Kuwait.