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Posted on 07/02/2026 7:22:27 AM PDT by Mr. Mojo
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) is considering moving its military bases’ operational systems in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia to Israel in order to increase their distance from further Iranian missile and drone attacks, The Wall Street Journal reported last Thursday.
The US Navy may revamp its base in Bahrain, which has suffered severe damage since late February up until the recent US-Iran ceasefire. Bahrain has been home to the US Navy’s central forces in the Middle East for over 50 years.
One option is to establish a new base in the Negev big enough to hold the American army’s forces, or to expand one of the Negev’s air force bases and allocate an American compound there.
The US Department of Defense and the US Army also plan to renew their supply contracts with the Ministry of Defense and the IDF until 2030, and possibly further.
This idea for relocation follows Iran’s extensive damage to at least 20 US sites across the Middle East since the onset of the war, especially NSA Bahrain.
The US Army is hoping for less vulnerability in Gulf countries
It would take an estimated $400 million to rebuild what Iran destroyed at NSA Bahrain, excluding costs of debris removal, the rebuilding of two AN/GSC-52B satellite communication terminals and a communications management facility, and other relevant costs.
It is possible that destroyed structures will not be revamped, and command and control nodes may have to be moved underground.
Back in May, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei stated the US military is not well enough protected in the Middle East.
“America will no longer have a safe haven for mischief and the establishment of military bases in the region,” Khamenei posted on his Twitter/X account.
The Pentagon has yet to publicly acknowledge the extent of the damage that Iran inflicted on their naval base in Bahrain. Capt. Tim Hawkins, a US Central Command spokesman, said that the US military struck Iran harder than Iran hit it.
“Centcom rightfully prioritized the protection of people over buildings, and our strategy of protecting people worked,” Hawkins told The Wall Street Journal. “Iran shot more than 8,000 missiles and drones, and only two hits resulted in US fatalities.”
The extensive damage “has the US re-evaluating its entire footprint in the region,” US officials told The Wall Street Journal.
Retired Navy V.-Adm. Kevin Donegan, a US Navy Commander in the Middle East, expects the US does not want to completely remove its presence in Bahrain, given their strong alliance.
Some of Israel’s security officials approve the establishment of American bases in Israel. “A permanent American presence in Israel will require an air defense envelope, and beyond that, it will strengthen the long-term relationship between the militaries and the administrations on the strategic level,” a security source told Walla.
No final decisions have been announced by the US yet.
Moving forces further west offers US more access to future of Middle East
A long-term American presence in Israel gives the US better access to the US Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) at Kiryat Gat, and it can better monitor the ongoing operations in Gaza and the Middle East region.
Meanwhile, in his next visit to Israel later this week, CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper plans to negotiate the Lebanon ceasefire terms and further define the withdrawal lines of the IDF from southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese government and Hezbollah want withdrawals that are less modest than those the IDF is offering.
USAF presence in Israel has made things harder for Israel
Israel has already made room for America since the onset of the 2026 Iran war. Ben-Gurion Airport hosted USAF refueling aircraft over the course of the war, which interfered with the flexibility of Israel’s airspace and airport operations.
Not all officials received US military presence in Israel with open arms. Civil Aviation Authority head Shmuel Zakai once called Ben-Gurion a “US military base,” given its constant presence of American planes.
US Air Force presence has also caused the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) to lose NIS 700 million, said National Security Council director Shmuel Ben-Ezra.
In response to the constraints on airport capacity, Maariv said USAF aircraft will be relocated from Ben-Gurion to Israel Air Force bases. Those IAF bases’ troops will move to other bases around Israel.
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“A permanent base would allow the US to refuse to authorize Israeli military operations that might put US assets in jeopardy and thereby hamper Israel’s tendency to use excessive force...” - Joseph Kaufman
The case for a permanent US base in Israel
Times of Israel ^ | May 10, 2026 | Bepi Pezzulli
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4381132/posts
It’s going to be years until we learn the true extent of the damage that Iran’s retaliation inflicted upon our military’s overseas holdings.
You don’t just vacate positions held for half a century for no good reason.
Also:
U.S. Bases in Israel Will Deter the Next October 7
Times of Israel ^ | Mar 2026 | Jose Lev Alvarez Gomez
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4381986/posts
Rather than entanglement, a permanent U.S. presence could serve as strategic peacekeeping.
By preventing October 7th style attacks, it could act as deterrent, and restrain the worst excesses on ALL sides of the conflict, including from Israel.
The answer is not to relocate Centcom. The answer is to bomb the area causing the threat back into the Stone Age or make it radioactive for the next 1,000 years so that it will never be a threat to Centcom again. Relocating is weakness that will be punished, not rewarded. I really hope this is not true.
(CENTCOM considers relocating US bases from Gulf States to Negev)
In before “Da Joooooos...”
I agree that retreating is a sign of weakness in that part of the world.
Bomb ALL of their launch sites into powder
👍👍👍
One wonders about the relative long-term effectiveness of laser antimissile defenses if we are talking about moving bases. If they were really that good, we should sit tight until they are installed.
hold your breath, the move is just around the corner....
Could it be that the host countries are demanding that we get out?
That’s also a possibility, given the recent reporting about the spat between us and the Saudis.
Trump’s war has put us on the run. Being chased out of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in addition to higher prices at home.
This report is based on unnamed sources from the WSJ.
Yet most people even on FR will assume it's true.
He was elected to Make America Great Again, not Israel.
Technology has changed.
Changes in force and force positioning seems appropriate given the technology changes.
No 47 years of apeasement while Iran built missiles and drones has put us on the run.
YSFM
Ut oh.....this makes the “why” of this fishy story clearer.
Later this week, in Israel, CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper will negotiate
ceasefire terms and further define the withdrawal of the IDF from southern Lebanon.
What the IDF is offering does not suit the Lebanese government.
Can you say “incentive?”
Ut oh.....this makes the “why” of this fishy story clearer.
Later this week, in Israel, CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper will negotiate
ceasefire terms and further define the withdrawal of the IDF from southern Lebanon.
What the IDF is offering does not suit the Lebanese government.
Can you say “incentive?”
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