The Bahrain-based US Naval Support Activity installation sustained severe damage during fighting with Iran, Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao said. The US Navy is now evaluating what to do with the facility, including whether to repair it.
The base near Manama formerly housed the US Fifth Fleet and US Naval Forces Central Command. Separate Iranian strikes on Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base damaged multiple US military aircraft, according to reports cited in the factual account.
Damage and disruption at NSA Bahrain
Cao said he had assigned a task force to assess the future of NSA Bahrain after the installation was repeatedly targeted between February and June. Open-source imagery indicated heavy damage, while an investigation based on satellite imagery, social media footage and interviews with service members found that the command centre and at least a dozen other buildings had been hit. Related coverage: Al-Azraq base: Why Iran has targeted a US site in Jordan.
The damage affected operations involving the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, Cao said, leaving its crew without a place to pull in. Admiral Daryl Caudle previously said the facility would not resume service “anytime soon.”
What the Bahrain installation does
Located in Juffair, a few kilometres from Manama, NSA Bahrain served as the main logistics hub for US naval operations in the Middle East. Its stated functions included supporting ships at sea, remote sites in the region and military and civilian personnel in Bahrain.
The facility was also home to the US Fifth Fleet and US Naval Forces Central Command, and served as the primary regional base for Navy activities during the US invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003.
Strikes reported at the Jordan base
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said missiles struck maintenance, preparation and deployment areas for F-35, F-16 and F-15 aircraft at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, also known as Al-Azraq. The Jordanian Armed Forces said 18 of 20 missiles were intercepted and that two landed in open areas. Read the context: Missile attacks by Iran on US in Jordan and US-Saudi strikes in Iraq raise tensions.
CBS News reported that an A-10 lost a wing and that eight F-15s sustained light damage before returning to service. The IRGC has claimed strikes on Al-Azraq more than 10 times between March and September; US authorities previously confirmed deaths, injuries and a missing service member after one attack, according to the factual account.
The conflict has also damaged or destroyed other US military assets in the region. A US Congressional Research Service report said 42 US military aircraft had been lost or damaged by May, while images and videos analysed by the BBC indicated damage at least 20 US military sites.
What happens next
The US Navy task force is assessing what to do with NSA Bahrain, including whether the facility should be repaired; no final decision was provided.
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