According to a bombshell report by the Wall Street Journal, Iranian missiles and drones targeting the nerve center of America’s naval operations in the Middle East did extensive damage.
The U.S. Navy’s sprawling base in Bahrain, and the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet, is located only 150 miles south of the coast of Iran, and it was targeted numerous times between late February and June.
Zumwalt-Class U.S. Navy. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Strikes that got through caused extensive damage; the Journal’s analysis of satellite imagery and social media footage includes damage the Pentagon hasn’t publicly acknowledged.
The base’s command headquarters and at least a dozen other buildings, along with two satellite communications terminals, were heavily damaged. The Journal estimated that over $400 million in damage was caused to the base in Bahrain.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated in a report published earlier this week that the total cost of the war was about $40 billion. That estimate included their calculation of $2.2 billion to $5.1 billion in damage to U.S. bases, based on structures that CSIS identified as damaged.
Two AN/GSC-52B satellite communications terminals were destroyed in the opening hours of Iran’s drone strikes, along with a communications management facility.
The terminals, which enable near real-time military communication, cost about $20 million each, according to CSIS.
The attack caused the US to reassess how to protect its forces in the Middle East.
CENTCOM Moved The Troops Out Prior To The Attacks
US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said the command’s strategy was to protect its people first, rather than its buildings.
Most of the troops were moved out prior to the attacks, and no US personnel were killed in the attacks.
A U.S. Sailor, assigned to Airborne Command and Control Squadron 124, signals the launch of a Carrier Air Wing 8 E-2D Hawkeye aircraft on the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while underway in the Caribbean Sea, Nov. 29, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility in support of Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Navy photo)
Hawkins said Iran fired more than 8,000 missiles and drones at US targets, and only two of those attacks resulted in American fatalities.
“CENTCOM rightfully prioritized the protection of people over buildings, and our strategy of protecting people worked. Iran shot more than 8,000 missiles and drones, and only two hits resulted in U.S. fatalities,” Hawkins said.
However, some US officials were shocked at the damage done during the attacks to one of the US’s biggest and most important bases in the Middle East.
Bases May Have Outlived Their Usefulness
One of the more interesting perspectives in the WSJ piece was that while the attacks exposed weaknesses and vulnerabilities of the Bahrain base, it was built decades before Iran possessed the long-range missiles and drones that it used in the attacks on the base.
NSA Bahrain was the only US base in the Middle East where families were allowed to live along with the sailors assigned there.
“We’ve been there for more than 50 years, and the base grew up the way the base grew up,” said retired Vice Adm. John “Fozzie” Miller, who was a former commander of U.S. naval forces in the Middle East. “I think there are some things we would do differently.”
The US Is Considering Moving Some Gulf Bases Westward
After the drone and missile attacks by Iran during the conflict, the US is considering rebuilding some of its buildings underground and not rebuilding others.
The US may also cut its military presence in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and shift some of that westward, even to Israel, to distance itself from further Iranian strikes, following Iran’s targeting of military installations in the two Arab states, American officials said.
Israel hosted dozens of U.S. aircraft, including jet fighters and refueling planes, during the conflict with Iran.
However, the alliance between the United States and Israel is currently navigating severe diplomatic turbulence.
Tensions have notably peaked between U.S. leadership and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following attacks by Israel in Lebanon against Iranian proxies Hezbollah, leading to rare public criticism from American officials.
What Happens Next For The US In The Region
Now the US must decide how it needs to proceed with its bases in the Middle East.
Changes will be needed in the near future; Bahrain will continue to host a US base, but it may look quite different after these recent events.
Secretary Rubio has been making stops across the region to reassure our allies and partners that the US is committed to Gulf security.
One place the Secretary avoided was Saudi Arabia, which restricted US base access and airspace during the conflict with Iran.
The Saudis are concerned with the deepening US/Israel/UAE ties that may result in a small number of Israeli troops operating on UAE soil.
The Saudis are also strengthening their ties with China, as they move away from the US and more towards Beijing. China is Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade regularly exceeding $100 billion annually.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
Dr. Hujjathullah M.H.Babu Sahib
June 26, 2026 at 3:16 pm
Whatever happens in the vicinity of the Persian Gulf,most of the GCC countries are unlikely to totally quit U.S. security involvements in their region. Even the Saudis, with large financial buffers, would not entirely distance themselves from U.S. security and strategic involvements, even as they become greater economic partners of the PRC, in tandem with their increasing mutual trade. The U.S. itself, as a consequence of its destructive engagements with I.R. Iran, is merely reconfiguring its presence in the region, in line with long evolving operational needs, encounter realities and probable war scenarios. Getting “lean and mean” has been in the U.S. military lingo for long now, to this they would presently add “hollow and burrow” perhaps, as an outgrowth of their Iranian encounters !