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Bases under pressure
For nearly four decades, the American presence in the Middle East relied on a network of large bases across Gulf states, but the Iran war has raised questions about the future of these facilities.
“"These facilities, especially the large bases, are extremely fragile."”
The Financial Times report described how Iranian attacks using short-range missiles and drones exposed the fragility of massive bases located close to the Iranian coastline, prompting Washington to move soldiers and aircraft to locations farther from Tehran’s reach in Israel and Jordan.
Hal Brands, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University, said, "These facilities, especially the large bases, are extremely fragile," and predicted a redefinition of the U.S. military posture away from the Gulf.
The report also said the U.S. Central Command began experimenting with new methods that distribute soldiers across smaller combat sites and rapidly move fighter aircraft between temporary runways.
It added that the U.S. Navy was forced to use Diego Garcia Atoll as an alternate supply hub for the U.S. Fifth Fleet after its Bahrain headquarters sustained damage.
Officials weigh options
In an interview with The Financial Times, Dana Stroul argued that the design of current Gulf bases "harks back to a bygone era and is no longer suitable for the nature of modern wars."
She said Washington could adopt "a leaner and more flexible model," and that those advocating to reduce reliance on these bases would now feel their position was justified.
NIT Swanson, a former White House Iran desk director at the National Security Council, said, "There is not much value in rebuilding some of these sites," and added that funding reconstruction could accelerate trends already in place.
The Financial Times report also framed the shift as a move toward dispersing forces, with the Pentagon testing models that rapidly move fighter jets between temporary runways and smaller combat positions.
At the same time, Stroul stressed that Washington should avoid any impression that it is abandoning partners, saying, "it will be important to avoid any impression that we are abandoning them."
Cost, troop levels, and risk
The American Enterprise Institute estimated in April that repairing damage to 11 U.S. bases spread across seven Middle Eastern countries would cost about $5 billion, while the Pentagon did not include those expenses in its formal cost projections for the conflict with Iran.
“about 35,000 American service members typically rotating through Saudi Arabia”
The Reuters account also reported that as six months passed since the outbreak of the war, disruptions in energy flows through the Hormuz Strait persisted, with Iran maintaining sufficient missile and drone capabilities to disrupt tanker movements.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he does not believe Iran is ready to strike the “right deal,” and told reporters, "That simply means we are watching what is happening."
The Financial Times report, as relayed by عربي21, said any rethinking of the U.S. military footprint would affect troop numbers in the Gulf, where about 35,000 American service members typically rotate through Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait.
It also warned that Iran could adapt to U.S. changes, with Dani Strenovich predicting Tehran would invest more in developing medium-range missiles capable of targeting Israel and Jordan.