Iran war puts future U.S. military presence in Middle East in question

However, damage to U.S. bases in the Middle East has made a drawdown all but inevitable, Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior fellow and director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, said in an interview.

“I think the reality is that even if the Pentagon would like to keep military forces in the Middle East after the war, the bases around the Persian Gulf, in places like Bahrain and Qatar and Kuwait, are simply not defensible,” Kavanagh said.

Last year, Kavanagh proposed closing U.S. bases in Kuwait and placing U.S. service members in Jordan, the UAE and Bahrain in facilities like the Prince Sultan Air Base near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Kavanagh said hardening of U.S. bases is a likely necessary step for future military operations, but placing them underground could complicate the usage of some assets.

Read at The Hill