Pentagon Weighs Rebuilding Middle East Bases After Iran Strikes, Rethinking Posture and Protection
Updated
Updated · Breaking Defense · Oct 21
Pentagon Weighs Rebuilding Middle East Bases After Iran Strikes, Rethinking Posture and Protection
3 articles · Updated · Breaking Defense · Oct 21
Summary
CENTCOM and Pentagon officials are assessing which damaged Middle East installations to rebuild, tying repair decisions to future US force posture rather than restoring every site automatically.
February attacks by Iran and its proxies hit bases in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Bahrain after US and Israeli strikes on Iran, with Al Udeid's Combined Air Operations Center reportedly left inoperable.
No full repair bill is yet available, even though lawmakers have already received broader war-cost estimates and Senate Armed Services Committee members this week demanded public disclosure of total costs including base damage.
Bahrain appears among the hardest-hit sites: Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said attackers "blew the hell out of Bahrain," and Adm. Daryl Caudle said Naval Support Activity Bahrain will not be used anytime soon.
The review is also driving a wider shift in base defense, as the Pentagon treats installations as weapon systems and weighs layered protections against drones and cruise missiles at overseas sites and on the US mainland.