2016 Fifty Cent Australia at War - Gulf Wars (50c) Uncirculated Australian Decimal Coin

The Australia at War series has tracked Australia’s military history from over the past 100 years, which is not complete without honoring the legacy of our involvement in the two wars fought in Iraq. Australians have been deployed in the Gulf Wars for over two decades since 1991.

Australia was one of a number of nations to act against Iraq following its invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

While tensions built throughout the latter part of 1990, the war would take shape as a short-lived offensive in the early part of 1991 with coalition forces overwhelming Iraq’s defenses swiftly. After the first Gulf war the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) remained deployed to help enforce sanctions on Iraq in the Persian Gulf.

This presence remained mostly peaceful until 2003, when escalating tensions over weapons of mass destruction culminated in a second coalition invasion of Iraq, which Australia was involved in.
No weapons were found, but Australian ground forces participated in the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and provided ongoing support to the democratic government until 2009.

The RAN continues to serve in the Persian Gulf to this day