MV Sea Isle City, a reflagged Kuwaiti oiltanker at anchor off Kuwait, with a Silkworm missile.198788 Persian Gulf:Operation Earnest Will. After the IranIraq War (the Tanker War phase) resultedin several military incidents in the Persian Gulf, the United States increasedU.S. joint military forces operations in the Persian Gulf and adopted a policyof reflagging and escorting Kuwaiti oil tankers through the Persian Gulf toprotect them from Iraqi and Iranian attacks. President Reagan reported thatU.S. ships had been fired upon or struck mines or taken other military actionon September 21 (Iran Ajr), October 8, and October 19, 1987 and April 18(Operation Praying Mantis), July 3, and July 14, 1988. The United States graduallyreduced its forces after a cease-fire between Iran and Iraq on August 20,1988.[RL30172] It was the largest naval convoy operation since World War II.[8]198788 Persian Gulf:Operation Prime Chance was a United States Special Operations Command operationintended to protect U.S.-flagged oil tankers from Iranian attack during theIranIraq War. The operation took place roughly at the same time as OperationEarnest Will.1988 Persian Gulf: Operation PrayingMantis was the April 18, 1988 action waged by U.S. naval forces in retaliationfor the Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf and the subsequent damage to anAmerican warship.1988 Honduras:Operation Golden Pheasant was an emergency deployment of U.S. troops toHonduras in 1988, as a result of threatening actions by the forces of the (thensocialist) Nicaraguans.1988USS Vincennes shoot-down of Iran Air Flight 655.1988 Panama: Inmid-March and April 1988, during a period of instability in Panama and as theUnited States increased pressure on Panamanian head of state General ManuelNoriega to resign, the United States sent 1,000 troops to Panama, to"further safeguard the canal, US lives, property and interests in thearea." The forces supplemented 10,000 U.S. military personnel already inthe Panama Canal Zone.[RL30172]1989 Libya: SecondGulf of Sidra incident. On January 4, 1989, two U.S. Navy F-14 aircraft basedon the USS John F. Kennedy shot down two Libyan jet fighters over theMediterranean Sea about 70 miles north of Libya. The U.S. pilots said theLibyan planes had demonstrated hostile intentions.[RL30172]1989 Panama: OnMay 11, 1989, in response to General Noriega's disregard of the results of thePanamanian election, President Bush ordered a brigade-sized force ofapproximately 1,900 troops to augment the estimated 1,000 U.S. forces alreadyin the area.[RL30172]1989 Colombia,Bolivia, and Peru: Andean Initiative in War on Drugs, On September 15, 1989,President Bush announced that military and law enforcement assistance would besent to help the Andean nations of Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru combat illicitdrug producers and traffickers. By mid-September there were 50100 U.S.military advisers in Colombia in connection with transport and training in theuse of military equipment, plus seven Special Forces teams of 212 persons totrain troops in the three countries.[RL30172]1989 Philippines:Operation Classic Resolve, On December 2, 1989, President Bush reported that onDecember 1, Air Force fighters from Clark Air Base in Luzon had assisted theAquino government to repel a coup attempt. In addition, 100 marines were sentfrom U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay to protect the United States Embassy inManila.[RL30172]198990 Panama:United States invasion of Panama and Operation Just Cause, On December 21,1989, President Bush reported that he had ordered U.S.