On 2 August 1990, the armies of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded the neighboring tiny, oil-rich nation of Kuwait. Responding to a request for assistance from King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia, US President George Bush ordered troops to the region as part of Operation DESERT SHIELD. A coalition of 27 allied nations supported the efforts with troops, money, medical teams, supplies, and equipment. Operation DESERT STORM, the coalition move to remove the Iraqi troops from Kuwait, began on 17 January 1991. The 60th played a vital role throughout the course of Operation DESERT SHIELD/STORM, by flying 1,280 C-5 and 954 C-141 missions from Travis Air Force Base. The airlift portion of the operation was nicknamed Operation VOLANT WIND.