Operation NECESSITY

International Information

International Operation Name: Operation NECESSITY

International Mission Name: Operation NECESSITY

Mandating Organization: Government of Canada

Region Name: Middle East

Location: Kuwait

Mission Date: 3 March 1991 - 7 March 1991

Mandate: To restore the Embassy and the Ambassador’s residence.

Mission Notes: By good fortune, the Canadian Ambassador to Kuwait left on vacation a few hours before Iraq’s surprise invasion of the country. When he returned on 1 March he found the Embassy building in shambles. Commodore Summers, who accompanied the Ambassador, immediately issued an order for technicians from 1 Canadian Field Hospital (1 CFH) to proceed from Al Qaysumah, Saudi Arabia, where the field hospital was set-up, to Kuwait. Their task, started on 3 March, was to restore the Embassy and the Ambassador’s residence into some semblance of working order. Generators provided power in a city that was darkened by the smoke from burning oil wells and suffering from frequent power outages. Water, communications and vehicle repairs were next on line. On 7 March, the detachment from 1 CFH returned to Al Qaysumah, replaced by staff from the Department of External Affairs.