The Corps of Engineers Responds
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U.S. forces extensively used King Khalid Military City, a billion facility near the Iraqi border.
construction programs themselves. Through this program, the Saudi Arabian
and U.S. governments developed a bond of mutual trust that became important
during Operation DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM. Some argue that the Saudis'
experience with the Corps helped convince government officials that they could
ask the United States to come into their country and that the United States
would respect their customs, do professional work, and leave when the work
was completed. The "nation assistance" benefits from the programs were
critical to the success of the Gulf War.3
Corps' Presence in Kuwait
The Corps' involvement in Kuwait dated back to World War II when three
Corps employees went to Kuwait to supervise the assembly of prefabricated
barges used to transport war materials up the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The
Corps' next involvement came in the late 1970s and early
when it sent
personnel to locate building sites for the American International School. In the
early 1980s, Middle East Division personnel helped build shelters for a Hawk
missile system that the Kuwait Air Force had purchased from the United States.
The division established a small resident office in Kuwait headed by Ceasar
Santucci. As the Hawk missile system work progressed, the Kuwait Air Force
asked the Corps to evaluate the design it had proposed in a contract to expand
its computer system. The Corps modified the contract and opened it to
competitive bidding, saving Kuwait an estimated 0,000. Over the next six
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