Navy Doesn’t Plan to Return to Bahrain Base ‘Anytime Soon,’ Chief Says

The U.S. Navy is not expecting to return to normal operations at its main Middle East hub in the near future, as clashes with Iran continue.

Naval Support Activity Bahrain has been the headquarters of the Navy’s forces in the Middle East. The base has traditionally served as a logistics hub, allowing for the pier-side resupply of U.S. warships.

Since U.S. and Israeli forces began striking Iran on Feb. 28, Iranian forces have launched waves of missiles and drones at the U.S. military’s outposts in the region, including the Navy base in Bahrain. Amid the armed standoff, many U.S. sailors have been relocated.

During a service-wide town hall event on Aug. 31, a sailor who had been displaced from NSA Bahrain asked Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle if she would see the return of personal belongings she left on the base.

“We’re not getting back in there anytime soon,” Caudle said. “I just want to be completely honest with that.”

Caudle said he is working with Vice Adm. Curt A. Renshaw, the commander of the Navy’s Middle East component, on a plan to reunite displaced service members with their belongings, but indicated the plan may not allow service members to return to the base for more than a short window of time.

“Is it something that the member … needs to be there for? Can we do this through perhaps a surrogate? You know, can we set these household goods moves up, have it all pre-staged, and you, the member, can come in for a very short period of time?” Caudle said.

Amid the ongoing Iran conflict, the U.S. military has avoided detailing the extent of the damage inflicted on its installations in the Middle East.

“As a matter of longstanding policy, we won’t comment on installation damage assessments or future operations,” a Navy spokesperson said in an emailed response to a request for comment.

While the Navy has avoided confirming specific damage inflicted on NSA Bahrain and other regional bases, the service has offered hints as to the impact the Iran conflict has had on its operations.

Last month, as reports emerged that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was facing strain amid a lengthy deployment in the region, a Navy spokesperson told The Epoch Times by email that “traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions.”

The Navy spokesperson said that in response to these disruptions, the service began to prioritize mission-critical supplies for the carrier, addressing food first, then hygiene items, and then mail deliveries for the crew.