After changing her homeport to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, "Worden" played a key role in the naval and air campaign in the first Gulf War. Soon after Iraq invaded Kuwait on 2 August 1990, "Worden" was tasked to deploy to the Middle East. "Worden"s combat capabilities had recently been updated with the New Threat Upgrade, a massive remodeling of the ship, from food service space rehabilitation to a main propulsion system overhaul and weapon system upgrades.