ABSTRACT

The involvement of the Royal Navy in the Gulf War of 1991 can be categorized as very different to its participation in the Falklands Conflict of 1982. By the outbreak of the Falklands crisis, a happy coincidence of circumstances had meant that not only did a naval officer hold the highest military position in Britain, the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) Admiral Sir Terence Lewin, but also the First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Henry Leach wielded considerable influence with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at a critical moment. In addition, the recapture of the Falkland Islands, Operation Corporate (commanded by Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse from the naval headquarters at Northwood), was a unilateral operation and the Royal Navy had formed the strategic foundation stone on which the successful outcome of the campaign ultimately rested. In contrast, by 1990 the Royal Navy’s position within Operation Granby and overall political influence was significantly reduced. The CDS was Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir David Craig and the most senior joint commander of operations was a fellow airman, Air Chief Marshal Sir Patrick Hine whose operations centre would be at the RAF Strike Command Headquarters at High Wycombe. Most importantly, operations in the Persian Gulf were multilateral in nature with the naval forces playing a subordinate role to the air and land dimensions.