Operation Friction
Operation Friction was a Canadian military operation that saw the contribution of 4,500 Canadian Forces personnel to the 1991 Gulf War. The larger US components were Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.
| Operation Friction | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Gulf War | |
HMCS Protecteur during Operation Friction | |
| Locations | Kuwait and Persian Gulf |
| Planned by | Canada |
| Commanded by | Brian Mulroney Bill McKnight Kim Campbell John de Chastelain Charles Thomas John Rogers Anderson David Huddleston Kenneth J. Summers |
| Objective | Implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait |
| Date | 24 August 1990 – 28 February 1991 |
| Executed by | Canadian Armed Forces |
| Outcome | Operational success |
Operation Friction initially saw Canadian Forces Maritime Command order the destroyers HMCS Terra Nova and HMCS Athabaskan to assist with enforcing the United Nations trade blockade against Iraq. The supply ship HMCS Protecteur was deployed with the destroyers to provide underway replenishment as well as command/control and at-sea medical services to the small task force which operated in the Persian Gulf, Straits of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman.
Canada suffered no casualties during the conflict but since its end many veterans have complained of suffering from Gulf War syndrome.