Washington eyes smaller Middle East footprint after Iran conflict

US military and intelligence officials are quietly discussing potential cuts to the number of personnel and facilities stationed in the Middle East if the Trump administration succeeds in ending the conflict with Iran, six sources familiar with the discussions said, CNN reports.

Such a move would mark another shift in Washington’s long-running efforts to reduce its military footprint in a region where the US has maintained an extensive presence since the September 11, 2001, attacks.

The US currently has about 50,000 troops and significant military assets in the region, including two aircraft carriers and more than a dozen guided-missile destroyers. However, the conflict with Iran has exposed vulnerabilities at American installations, several of which have come under repeated drone and missile attacks.

The military is also considering ways to strengthen defences for forces that remain after the war, including potentially moving some facilities underground. “The vulnerabilities were always known, but the US never acted on it with urgency,” one US official said.

Officials have developed several potential options for restructuring the US force posture as early as next year, while acknowledging that abandoning strategic locations used to launch aircraft would not be practical while the conflict continues.

Some officials are also considering whether sensitive missions conducted by the CIA and special operations forces could be carried out without permanent bases by deploying personnel and equipment from the US for individual missions.

Washington could also decide not to rebuild facilities severely damaged or destroyed by Iranian attacks, partly because of the cost. Pentagon comptroller Jules “Jay” Hurst III said in April that the cost of repairs remained unclear, “and part of it is we would assess what our posture should be in the Middle East.”

Hurst later said the Pentagon does not “have a final number for what the damage is to our installations overseas,” adding that it depends “on how we decide to rebuild those, or if we do.”

Senior Pentagon officials have privately indicated they want to reduce troop deployments in several Gulf countries and shift more of the defence burden to regional partners. However, sources said there is no formal force posture review or direct order underway.

The discussions come as Iran continues to target US forces and installations. American bases in Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have been struck, while the CIA’s Riyadh outpost was reportedly destroyed.

For now, US forces remain vulnerable to further attacks. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said personnel would not return to Bahrain, the traditional home of the 5th Fleet, “anytime soon.”

“We’re not getting back in there anytime soon,” Caudle said. “I just want to be completely honest with that.”

By Vafa Guliyeva