Iran shook US Gulf fortress. The scale of war damage is finally coming into focus
The biggest impact of Iran's missile and drone on the US naval base in Bahrain may not be measured in destroyed buildings alone. It could
The biggest impact of Iran's missile and drone on the US naval base in Bahrain may not be measured in destroyed buildings alone. It could be the strategic rethink now unfolding inside the Pentagon. According to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal, repeated strikes on Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain between late February and June caused extensive damage to critical military infrastructure. The findings, based on satellite imagery, social media footage and interviews with current and former US servicemembers, flagged the destruction was greater than what the Pentagon has acknowledged. Read Full Story The scale of the damage has prompted a fresh review of America's military footprint in the region. Officials are considering whether some bases should be relocated, downsized or rebuilt to cope with the growing threat from Iranian missiles and drones. INSIDE THE IRANIAN ATTACK ON AMERICA'S GULF BASE The investigation revealed that several Iranian missiles and drones penetrated US air defences and struck strategic parts of NSA Bahrain. Among the damaged facilities were the command headquarters, at least a dozen other buildings and two satellite communications terminals used for military operations. While the Pentagon has said that no personnel were killed at the base and operations continued without major disruption, most US military personnel had already been evacuated before the heaviest strikes.
The military has kept only a limited number of staff at the installation. Responding to questions about the attacks, US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins defended the military's strategy. "Centcom rightfully prioritised the protection of people over buildings, and our strategy of protecting people worked. Iran shot more than 8,000 missiles and drones and only two hits resulted in US fatalities," Hawkins said, as quoted by The WSJ. He added that American forces inflicted significantly greater damage on Iran during the conflict. "The US struck more than 13,500 targets," Hawkins said. ATTACKS FORCE US STRATEGY RESET According to The WSJ, the attacks did more than damage buildings. They forced senior US defence officials to reconsider whether long-standing American bases in the Gulf remain viable in an era of precision-guided missiles and armed drones. It forced the Pentagon to examine several options. These include redesigning the Bahrain base, reducing the US military presence in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, moving some command functions farther west and placing more facilities underground. Military planners are also considering spreading capabilities across multiple smaller locations instead of concentrating them at a few large bases. However, no final decisions have been made. Israel is among the countries being considered for hosting additional US military assets after it accommodated dozens of American aircraft during the conflict, according to two officials cited by the report.
The BriefWire