Page 145 - NS-2 Textbook

138 MARITIME HISTORY

Many lessons were learned about the survivability of modern warships during the Falklands War. Here, HMS Avenger aids HMS Plymouth after
the latter was hit by Argentine bombs.

GRENADA In December 1989 following a series of incidents that
culminated in the kllling of a U.S. Marine lieutenant by
In late October 1983 in response to a takeover of the
Panamanian Defense Force (PDF) troops, the Noriega
Caribbean island nation of Grenada by Cuban-backed
government declared that a state of war existed between
Communist forces, a joint u.s. task force with elements
the United States and Panama. Early in the morning
of all services conducted a major amphibious operation
hours of 20 December 1989, President Bush sent a com-
and took control of the island in tluee days. Forces from
bined invasion force of 12,000 U.S. Army, Navy, Air
several nearby Cru"ibbean allied island govermnents also
Force, and Marine Corps troops to remove Noriega and
took part in the operation. In the process, about 600
return the country to the control of the officials who had
American citizens, mostly students attending medical
school there, and 80 foreign nationals "were evacuated to
safety. Latel~ U.S. forces helped the Grenadians reestab-
lish their representative government and rebuild dam-
aged buildings and other facilities.

PANAMA
Relations between the United States and Panama
steadily deteriorated tluoughout the 1980s. By 1988 the
cOlmtry had become a major staging area for drug smug-
gling to the United States, and its dictator, General
Manuel Noriega, was indicted on drug-trafficking
charges by a U.S. federal grand jury. In response, the
Noriega government became increasingly belligerent to-
ward u.s. interests there, causing the United States to im-
pose economic sanctions in retaliation. In May 1989 a na-
Part of the huge cache of Soviet-made arms and ammunition recov-
tional election voted Noriega out of pmvel~ but he ered during the Grenada operation in October 1983. Note the
refused to accept the result and had the vote annulled. Cuban Economic Office label on this crate of 7.62-mm ammunition.