On August 18th, local time, The Washington Post reported that, after months of attacks in Iran that have damaged military bases across the region, the Pentagon is re-evaluating the scale of U.S. military deployments in the Middle East, including whether to reduce the number of troops stationed in the Gulf region. This evaluation was part of an analysis that had not yet been officially launched.
Two people familiar with the assessment work revealed that one of the key issues being considered by the Department of Defense is the feasibility of withdrawing troops from the Persian Gulf. The aforementioned individuals stated that the large overseas military bases in the region have been continuously attacked by Iran for several months, and the damage inflicted on these facilities has provided the Pentagon with a “once-in-a-millennium” opportunity to reconsider the U.S. military deployment in the Gulf, rather than simply rebuilding the damaged facilities on their original locations before the war.
According to reports, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.S. Central Command are studying this issue. A senior official at the Pentagon who wished to remain anonymous and responsible for this sensitive analysis said that Defense Secretary Hagel has not ordered a formal assessment of troop deployment. The analysis currently being conducted is merely a “prudent planning exercise,” which will provide information for the White House to decide whether to rebuild the damaged bases.
The discussion also involved Admiral Bradley Cooper, commander of the U.S. Central Command. According to an American official, he supported the plan to move U.S. troops from the Persian Gulf westward. A spokesman for the U.S. Central Command declined to comment on this issue.
According to US media reports, as early as the eve of the war in February this year, the US Central Command determined that major bases in the Gulf region were highly susceptible to attacks by Iranian missiles and drones, and that it was impossible to maintain a normal troop deployment there. Consequently, a large number of personnel were evacuated from several bases. A person familiar with the troop deployment adjustments revealed that some of the adjustments made to the troops stationed at the large bases in the Gulf region could continue for a long time after the war.
"Iran has pre-empted that we will still hold our positions at traditional strongholds," this insider revealed, to avoid danger for US personnel, without revealing details of the repositioning, "But we won't be staying there anymore."
