A first strike tomahawk missile is released from the forward vertical launch system (VLS) aboard the U.S. Navy?s Ticonderoga Class cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67), on the morning of September 3, 1996. Following Saddam Hussein?s offensive action into Kurdish territory within the UN sponsored ?no-fly zone?, U.S. Naval forces launched 14 Tomahawk Cruise missiles on targets in southern Iraq. President Clinton authorized repeated action less than 24 hours later, after DOD officials determined that additional missiles were needed to ensure that targets were completely neutralized. U.S. Navy Photo