The NSA Bahrain attack during the opening days of Operation Epic Fury left the U.S. Naval Support Activity in Manama heavily damaged, a reality that helps explain why news of the near destruction was not initially acknowledged. The installation’s extensive degradation, according to officials and recent accounts, is now coming into clearer focus.
Extensive damage at one of the United States’ most important forward bases in the Middle East is expected to have significant tactical and strategic effects that are only now being fully understood.
The notion that a broad, mature operating hub, built over decades, could be severely diminished within days by a regional adversary has stunned many with experience in the area.
Veterans and former trainers who spent time in Bahrain recall the base and surrounding community as safe and well resourced, a place that supported sailors and families with everyday services and respite.
Reports now describe NSA Bahrain as largely uninhabitable, with families displaced and facing prolonged uncertainty. The upheaval has been difficult to absorb for those who knew the base in steadier times.
Repair costs are estimated at roughly $400 million. Facilities reported damaged include the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters, a barracks, several warehouses, communications towers and a potable water station.
Vessels, including several U.S. Coast Guard ships, appear to have been repositioned along with large portions of the workforce and their support functions. U.S. military sources said there were no deaths or severe injuries at the base.
NSA Bahrain is more than a headquarters. The installation serves as a regional operating base for U.S. Navy forces in the Middle East. It hosts U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the U.S. Fifth Fleet, along with numerous tenant commands.
When ships, aircraft, personnel or cargo transit the region, they are often supported by NSA Bahrain. The base provides the infrastructure that keeps U.S. maritime power present in a strategically vital area.
NSA Bahrain attack and implications for regional security
The fact that the United States did not prevent a foreseeable strike on a Fleet headquarters, placing sailors and families at risk, has alarmed observers and likely unsettled allies.
The full impact became more apparent as reports surfaced of shortages of parts, food, mail and supplies to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. Those accounts highlighted how the loss of a familiar logistics hub disrupted established supply chains.
Supply lines that once stretched hundreds of miles now span thousands, a shift with far-reaching consequences for forward-deployed ships and a likely constraint on maritime operations.
Personnel who have deployed to the region say the strain is real. Even more confounding to some was the lack of a swift evacuation. Months after the strike, more than a thousand evacuated service members and family members reportedly remain in limbo, many separated from pets and belongings due to the damage.
Analysts warn that the effective loss of NSA Bahrain is comparable to losing an aircraft carrier in terms of operational effect. It was no secret that Iran might target the base in retaliation, yet people and facilities were left exposed and not adequately shielded from Tehran’s ballistic missiles, according to these accounts.
The United States possesses advanced air defenses that, in recent conflicts, have formed robust protective umbrellas over population centers and key sites. Ballistic missile defense destroyers with powerful intercept capabilities could have been postured at sea to better protect the headquarters, experts say.
Instead, there is now discussion of reducing the U.S. footprint in the region. Such a strategic contraction would further affect logistics for ships and troops, potentially increasing their vulnerability.
Vice Adm. Curt Renshaw, commander of Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. Fifth Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, told evacuees at a town hall that as the situation evolved, leaders found themselves in “uncharted territory,” reflecting the uncertainty facing personnel and families.
Six months on, the unresolved questions are not limited to physical repairs. They include the operational status and future of one of America’s most important naval hubs, and the welfare of those who live and work there.
Fifth Fleet continues to operate, but the supporting infrastructure has been badly degraded. While operational security is necessary, advocates argue the public deserves to understand how this happened, the scale of the impact and the steps being taken to prevent a repeat.
If NSA Bahrain is not rebuilt to near its pre-attack capacity, the U.S. Navy will have to fundamentally adjust how it operates, supplies and maintains ships in the region. Coalition support in the Gulf would also be significantly affected.
Those with long ties to the base hope it is restored with the resources and defenses needed to make it safe and viable once again.
John Cordle is a retired Navy captain who commanded the destroyer USS Oscar Austin and the cruiser USS San Jacinto during a 30-year career. He received the U.S. Navy League John Paul Jones Award for Inspirational Leadership.