BY TYLER DURDEN
SATURDAY, SEP 12, 2026 – 06:15 AM
Authored by Ryan Morgan via The Epoch Times,
The U.S. Navy is evaluating what to do with its headquarters in the Middle East after the Bahrain-based installation sustained damage during recent months of fighting with Iran.
Smoke rises after reported Iranian missile attacks, following strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran, in Manama, Bahrain, February 28, 2026. REUTERS/StringerFor years, the Navy has managed its Middle East fleet operations out of Naval Support Activity Bahrain. Iranian forces began targeting the base after U.S. and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
"They blew the hell out of Bahrain," acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said in an interview with The Epoch Times on Sept. 9, as he concluded a visit to a shipyard in Philadelphia.
While open-source imagery had previously indicated the Bahrain naval base sustained damage, Cao’s comment marked a direct and official acknowledgement of the ongoing conflict’s impact on the facility.
Last month, following reports that the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln were facing strainsafter months supporting combat operations in the Middle East, the Navy told The Epoch Times that combat actions had disrupted traditional supply hubs in the region. Despite these disruptions, the service said the Lincoln’s crew maintained continuous access to clean water, healthy meal options, and functional air conditioning.
At a Navy town hall event on Aug. 31, a sailor who had been displaced from NSA Bahrain asked Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle whether she would see the return of personal belongings she left on the base. Caudle said the service was working on a plan to reunite personnel with their belongings but said the service doesn’t plan to return to the base "anytime soon."
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