Defence Wing

🇺🇸🇦🇫 Afghanistan War (2001–2021) 9/11, Al-Qaeda, Taliban, Operation Enduring Freedom, Osama bin Laden, the Surge, Doha Agreement & the Fall of Kabul The War in Afghanistan became the longest major war in American military history. Beginning in October 2001 and lasting nearly two decades, the conflict transformed from a narrowly defined counter-terrorism campaign into a vast military, political and nation-building endeavour. The United States initially entered Afghanistan to destroy Al-Qaeda's operational infrastructure and remove the Taliban government that had provided sanctuary to Osama bin Laden and his organisation. The Taliban regime collapsed rapidly. But the war did not. Over the following twenty years, the conflict evolved through several distinct phases: invasion → regime change → counterinsurgency → nation-building → Taliban resurgence → U.S. troop surge → negotiations → withdrawal → Taliban victory. The final chapter came in August 2021, when Taliban forces enter...

🇺🇸🇮🇶 Iraq War (2003–2011) Saddam Hussein, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Shock and Awe, Insurgency, The Surge & the U.S. Withdrawal The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War or Operation Iraqi Freedom, was one of the most consequential and controversial military interventions of the 21st century. The United States, supported by a coalition led by Britain, invaded Iraq in March 2003 with the declared objective of removing Saddam Hussein's regime and eliminating the perceived threat posed by Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The initial military campaign was extraordinarily rapid. Baghdad fell within weeks, and Saddam Hussein's government collapsed. But the war did not end with the fall of Baghdad. Instead, Iraq entered a prolonged period of insurgency, sectarian violence, terrorism, political instability and counterinsurgency warfare. The conflict eventually required a major U.S. troop reinforcement known as the Surge, followed by the gradual transfer of secur...

🇺🇸🇮🇶 Gulf War (1990–1991): Operation Desert Storm and the Liberation of Kuwait The Gulf War of 1990–1991 was one of the most technologically sophisticated conflicts of the late twentieth century. It began when Iraq, under President Saddam Hussein, invaded Kuwait on 2 August 1990. The crisis triggered a massive international response led by the United States and ultimately produced a rapid military campaign that expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait. The conflict is often remembered through the names Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. --- 1. 🇮🇶 Why Did Iraq Invade Kuwait? The roots of the crisis were largely economic and geopolitical. Iraq had emerged from the devastating Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988) with enormous debts and a weakened economy. Saddam Hussein's government argued that Kuwait was contributing to Iraq's economic difficulties by producing large quantities of oil. Iraq also accused Kuwait of exceeding OPEC production quotas and depressing oil prices. B...

🇺🇸 The Vietnam War: America’s Longest Cold War Conflict The Vietnam War was one of the most consequential and controversial conflicts in modern American history. It was not simply a war between two Vietnamese armies. It became a major Cold War confrontation involving North Vietnam, South Vietnam, the United States, the Soviet Union, China and other countries. Although U.S. involvement began with advisers in the 1950s, American combat forces expanded dramatically in the 1960s. U.S. major combat operations continued until 1973, while the wider Vietnamese conflict ended in 1975 with the fall of Saigon.  --- 1. 🇻🇳 Vietnam Before the American War Vietnam had been part of French Indochina. After World War II, Vietnamese nationalists and communists led by Ho Chi Minh fought French colonial rule. The decisive moment came at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, when French forces were defeated by the Viet Minh. France subsequently withdrew from the region.  The Geneva settlement temporarily divi...