On 8 December 1990, "Paul F. Foster" departed Long Beach on its seventh overseas deployment to the Persian Gulf in support of "Operations Desert Shield" and "Desert Storm." The first ship to fire Tomahawk missiles against Iraqi targets from the Persian Gulf, she was instrumental in the liberation of Kuwait and in winning the campaign. Deploying for the eighth time on 20 July 1992, she returned to the Arabian Sea, where she operated in support of Persian Gulf Operations-Southern Watch while participating in numerous bilateral exercises with Persian Gulf Nations.