By the end of the 1980s, military focus shifted away from the waning Soviet threat toward other emerging threats around the globe, including Saddam Hussein in Iraq. In August 1990, Iraq invaded and seized Kuwait, and under President George H.W. Bush, the United States formed an international political-military coalition to confront the Iraqi threat in the Middle East and rapidly deployed U.S. military forces into Saudi Arabia to deter further aggression. The Air Force supported U.S. air and ground forces with an unprecedented strategic airlift operation whose tonnage in 22 days exceeded the amount moved during the 65-week Berlin Airlift. With regional and global allies, the coalition first launched Operation Desert Shield to contain Iraqi movement into Kuwait and build up defenses primarily in Saudi Arabia. Then, with the start of Operation Desert Storm in January 1991, the U.S. Air Force began a highly successful air campaign against Iraqi ground forces and air defenses. Although new stealth technologies such as the F-117 appeared in the conflict, most fighter and bomber forces were traditional non-stealth aircraft. Air combat forces fought the first conventional war since the Vietnam War, applying lessons learned there and employing a new military doctrine. The conflict was called the first "space war" because U.S. and allied forces relied heavily on satellites for communications, early warning, navigation across the desert, intelligence on Iraqi forces, and weather updates. The coalition air effort preceded and reinforced a highly successful and rapid land invasion with extraordinarily light casualties. Desert Storm ultimately liberated Kuwait, but Saddam remained in power, and the U.S. kept air forces in the region through Operations Northern and Southern Watch to maintain pressure on his rule.