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Bahrain Omani Role in the Persian Gulf War, 1991
Oman's perceptions of the strategic problems in the
gulf
diverge somewhat from those of the other Arab gulf states.
Geographically, it faces outward to the Gulf of Oman and
the
Arabian Sea, and only a few kilometers of its
territory--the
western coast of the Musandam Peninsula--border the
Persian Gulf.
Nevertheless, sharing the guardianship of the Strait of
Hormuz
with Iran, Oman's position makes it of key importance to
the
security of the entire gulf. In its willingness to enter
into
strategic cooperation with the United States and Britain,
Oman
has always stood somewhat apart from the other gulf
states. In
1980 Muscat and Washington concluded a ten-year
"facilities
access" agreement granting the United States limited
access to
the air bases on Masirah and at Thamarit and As Sib and to
the
naval bases at Muscat, Salalah, and Al Khasab. The
agreement was
renewed for a further ten-year period in December 1990.
Although
some Arab governments initially expressed their
disapproval for
granting the United States basing privileges, the
agreement
permitted use of these bases only on advance notice and
for
specified purposes. During the Iran-Iraq War, the United
States
flew maritime patrols from Omani airfields and based
tanker
aircraft to refuel United States carrier aircraft. The
United
States Army Corps of Engineers carried out considerable
construction at the Masirah and As Sib air bases, making
it
possible to pre-position supplies, vehicles, and
ammunition.
Hardened aircraft shelters were built at As Sib and
Thamarit for
use of the ROAF.
Oman's traditionally good relations with Iran were
strained
by Iran's attacks on tanker movements in the gulf and
Iran's
emplacement of Chinese Silkworm antiship missile launchers
near
the Strait of Hormuz. The sultanate reinforced its
military
position on the Musandam Peninsula, which is only about
sixty
kilometers from Iranian territory.
After the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, Oman declared its
support
for the multinational coalition ranged against Iraq. The
facilities on Masirah became an important staging area for
the
movement of coalition forces to the area of conflict. Oman
also
contributed troops to Operation Desert Storm as part of
the Arab
contingent of Joint Forces Command East. A reinforced
Omani
brigade, along with Saudi, UAE, Kuwaiti, and other forces,
participated in the ground assault paralleling the gulf
coast
that converged on the city of Kuwait. No Omani combat
deaths were
reported.
Data as of January 1993
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