If you ask a veteran when they served in the Gulf, they might give you a range of years. Ask a historian for the dates for Desert Storm, and they’ll likely point to a very specific, six-week window in early 1991. It’s weird how we remember wars. We tend to lump everything into one big "Desert Storm" bucket, but the reality is a jagged timeline of diplomatic failures, massive troop build-ups, and a lightning-fast ground war that changed how the world looks at high-tech conflict.
Honestly, the confusion starts with the names. People use "Desert Shield" and "Desert Storm" interchangeably. They aren't the same. One was a desperate defensive crouch to keep Iraq out of Saudi Arabia. The other was the hammer coming down.
The Absolute Critical Dates for Desert Storm
The air campaign began at approximately 2:38 a.m. (local time) on January 17, 1991. That is the date everyone remembers because it was the first time the world watched a war unfold in real-time on CNN. It wasn't just some abstract news report; it was green-tinted night vision footage of anti-aircraft fire over Baghdad.
But the "official" dates for Desert Storm as a combat operation end on February 28, 1991. That’s when the ceasefire was declared.
Wait.
That’s only 43 days. It’s a blip. Compared to the decades-long entanglements in Afghanistan or the later Iraq War, the actual combat phase of Desert Shield’s offensive successor was incredibly brief. But those 43 days were preceded by months of tension.
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Why August 2, 1990, is the Real Starting Point
You can’t understand the 1991 dates without looking at the summer of 1990. Saddam Hussein’s Republican Guard rolled into Kuwait City on August 2. It took them less than two days to take the whole country. This triggered Operation Desert Shield on August 7, 1990. For months, the "Line in the Sand" was just a hope. Hundreds of thousands of Coalition troops—eventually totaling nearly 1 million from 35 nations—poured into the Saudi desert. They were waiting. The UN gave Iraq a deadline: get out by January 15, 1991, or face the consequences. Saddam didn’t budge.
Breaking Down the 100-Hour Ground War
When people search for dates for Desert Storm, they are usually looking for the ground invasion. This is the stuff of military legend—the "Left Hook" maneuver designed by General Norman Schwarzkopf.
It started on February 24, 1991.
It ended 100 hours later.
Think about that. After weeks of punishing aerial bombardment that began in January, the actual liberation of Kuwait took less than five days of ground movement. The Iraqi military, the fourth largest in the world at the time, essentially folded. On February 26, Iraqi forces began a chaotic retreat from Kuwait, leading to the infamous "Highway of Death" scenes where Coalition aircraft devastated miles of congested military and civilian vehicles. By February 27, Kuwait City was liberated.
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The Ceasefire and the Formal End
A lot of people think the war ended the moment the shooting stopped on February 28. Technically, for the purpose of campaign medals and VA benefits, the "official" period for the Gulf War often extends much further. For instance, the U.S. government recognizes the Gulf War period as starting August 2, 1990, and extending through November 30, 1995, for certain administrative reasons.
However, the combat dates for Desert Storm specifically refer to the January 17 – February 28, 1991, window. The formal "end" of the conflict was solidified on April 6, 1991, when Iraq officially accepted the terms of UN Resolution 687. This established the no-fly zones that would dominate the next decade of Middle Eastern geopolitics.
Surprising Nuances in the Timeline
It wasn't just a straight line from A to B. There were several "mini-timelines" within the war that changed the trajectory of the conflict.
- January 18, 1991: Iraq began launching Scud missiles at Israel and Saudi Arabia. This was a calculated move to draw Israel into the war and break the Arab coalition. It didn't work.
- January 29, 1991: The Battle of Khafji. This was the first major ground engagement. Iraqi forces actually crossed into Saudi Arabia and took the town of Khafji. They were pushed out a few days later by Saudi and Qatari forces supported by U.S. Marines.
- February 13, 1991: The Amiriyah shelter bombing. Two "smart bombs" hit a bunker in Baghdad, killing hundreds of civilians. This changed the public's perception of the "clean" air war and shifted how targets were selected for the remaining weeks.
These moments explain why the war felt much longer to those who were there than the calendar suggests. The intensity was compressed.
The Legacy of the 1991 Window
Why do these specific dates still matter in 2026? Because they represent the last time a "traditional" large-scale war between two nation-states ended with a clear, decisive conventional victory in such a short timeframe.
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The dates for Desert Storm also mark the birth of modern electronic warfare and GPS-guided precision. Before January 17, 1991, most people had never heard of a "Stealth Fighter" or a "Patriot Missile." By February 28, these were household names.
The speed of the victory actually created a false sense of security for future conflicts. Military planners in the early 2000s looked back at the 1991 timeline and assumed the 2003 invasion would be just as tidy. They were wrong. They forgot that the 1991 dates were defined by a very specific goal: get Iraq out of Kuwait. It wasn't about regime change. It was about restoration.
Verifying Your Research
If you are looking at primary sources, like the Department of Defense archives or the National Museum of the United States Air Force, you will see a focus on the "Air Phase" vs. the "Ground Phase."
- Air Phase: Jan 17 – Feb 23.
- Ground Phase: Feb 24 – Feb 28.
It's that simple, yet that complex. The build-up took six months. The air war took five weeks. The ground war took four days.
Actionable Insights for Historians and Researchers
To accurately document or study the dates for Desert Storm, stop looking for a single "end date" and start looking for the transition points.
- Distinguish the Phases: If you are writing a paper or researching a veteran's history, always differentiate between Operation Desert Shield (defensive) and Operation Desert Storm (offensive). Using the wrong term is a dead giveaway that you haven't done the homework.
- Check the Time Zones: Many official logs use Zulu time (GMT) or local Baghdad time. Because the air war started in the middle of the night, it was technically January 16 in the United States but January 17 in Iraq. Be consistent in which one you use.
- Look Beyond the Ceasefire: For a complete picture, study the "Provide Comfort" operations that immediately followed the ceasefire in April 1991. These were humanitarian efforts to protect Kurdish refugees and are often considered the "epilogue" to the Desert Storm timeline.
- Use Visual Maps: The movement of the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions alongside the "Big Red One" (1st Infantry Division) is best understood by overlaying the dates of Feb 24-26 on a map of the Kuwaiti/Iraqi border. The speed of movement—sometimes over 100 miles in a day—is what defined those dates.
Understanding these dates isn't just about memorizing a calendar. It's about recognizing how a massive geopolitical machine spun up, executed a singular task, and then attempted to spin down just as quickly.