Updated

Updated · Stars and Stripes · Aug 21

Navy Bars 1,300 Families From Bahrain Return, Orders New Duty Stations as Iran Threats Persist

Updated

Updated · Stars and Stripes · Aug 21

Navy Bars 1,300 Families From Bahrain Return, Orders New Duty Stations as Iran Threats Persist

Q: With Bahrain deemed unsafe, where will the U.S. Navy relocate its critical Middle East command headquarters next?

There is no publicly announced relocation site yet. The Navy and U.S. Central Command have said only that they are developing medium- and long-term plans for where NAVCENT and the Fifth Fleet headquarters will operate while Bahrain remains unsafe. What is clear from the reporting is that Bahrain is no longer being treated as a near-term option for a full return of families and civilian staff. Officials have reduced the footprint there to personnel needed for critical operations and told evacuees to establish new home bases, usually in the United States, because a return is not expected “for the foreseeable future.” Outside reporting points to Israel as a serious option under discussion, particularly the Negev, where U.S. facilities could be built or expanded farther from Iran’s immediate strike range. The Wall Street Journal and other outlets have reported that Pentagon officials are reassessing the entire Gulf basing posture after Iranian attacks damaged sites in Bahrain and elsewhere. Former CENTCOM commander Gen. Frank McKenzie has also publicly argued for shifting more enduring U.S. basing westward, especially to Israel. Still, that remains a reported possibility, not a confirmed decision. As of now, the official answer is that the Navy has not announced where its critical Middle East maritime command headquarters will be relocated next.

3 articles · Updated · Stars and Stripes · Aug 21

Nearly six months after the evacuation, the Navy told about 1,300 Bahrain evacuees they cannot return for the foreseeable future and should designate a new permanent home base, usually in the U.S.
Iranian drone and missile threats have repeatedly hit Bahrain and kept NAVCENT from fully restoring staff, with officials now also weighing medium- and long-term locations for the headquarters.
180-day benefit limits are colliding with the prolonged crisis, forcing the Navy and State Department to improvise extensions and case-by-case fixes for lodging, transport and basic expenses.
Families say the stopgap system has left some in hotels or short-term rentals, with household goods stranded and out-of-pocket costs reaching nearly $40,000 in some cases.
The uncertainty is complicating schooling, medical care and child care, while adding to broader Pentagon questions about whether the U.S. should scale back its Gulf basing footprint.