U.S. Media: Iran War Exposes Weaknesses in U.S. Military Overseas Base Strategy

Reference News Network, October 6 report The Washington Post website published an article on September 28 titled "Iran Has Broken a Fundamental Assumption of the U.S. Military," authored by Max Boot. The content of the article is as follows:

Since World War II, the United States has established 750 overseas military bases in 80 countries and regions, forming a global network. Whenever war approaches, such as the wars against Iraq in 1991 or 2003, the U.S. first stockpiles mountains of "steel supplies" at nearby bases before launching offensive operations. For a long time, the U.S. has always assumed that its air superiority would be sufficient to ensure the safety of these bases. During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, even in areas filled with hostile forces, U.S. military bases were relatively safe.

However, the ongoing conflict with Iran indicates that this assumption is no longer valid, calling into question the long-standing foundation of U.S. military strategy. Iran has inflicted heavy damage on U.S. military bases in the Persian Gulf region using drones and missiles. As noted in a recent report by the Department of Defense Inspector General: "During the conflict, Iranian strikes damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and facilities at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan. Additionally, dozens of U.S. military aircraft were destroyed or damaged."

The most severe losses were suffered by the U.S. Navy base in Bahrain, which is the headquarters of the Fifth Fleet, and was incapacitated on the very first day of the war, February 28. Acting Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro recently stated, "They blew Bahrain to pieces." Admiral Daryl Caudle, the Chief of Naval Operations, also candidly admitted at an internal Navy meeting, "We are not going back in the short term. I want to be honest with everyone about that."

With the port in Bahrain unusable, the U.S. Navy had to rely on the Diego Garcia base, located 2,200 miles (approximately 3,540 kilometers) away, to supply the U.S. fleet in the Middle East. This not only increased supply costs and reduced the frequency of deliveries but also made it too dangerous for warships to dock for rest. The USS Lincoln aircraft carrier has been on high-intensity missions at sea for nine consecutive months, putting immense pressure on its crew, leading to eight attempted suicides within the carrier strike group.

The proliferation of cheap drones and missiles has made U.S. military bases increasingly vulnerable, and with the widespread adoption of AI-guided technology, this situation is only expected to worsen, with no simple solutions in sight. Closing bases is one way to prevent them from becoming targets, but this would have negative political implications, as it sends a signal to the outside world that the U.S. is withdrawing.

It may be reasonable not to rebuild all bases in the Persian Gulf region, but it is equally important to strengthen the active and passive defense systems of bases distributed around the world. The first step is to build more shelters and protective facilities for troops, aircraft, and supplies. Clearly, this has not been adequately done in the Middle East, and the same applies to bases in other parts of the world.

Active defense is also crucial, especially in response to low-cost defensive measures against drones. Such defensive measures are severely lacking on the battlefield in the Middle East, forcing the U.S. and its allies to use expensive guided missiles to intercept cheap drones.

Expanding the U.S. drone inventory is also important, especially for long-range drones that do not need to take off from bases close to targets. The advantage of drones is that they do not require food and water, thus eliminating the need to stockpile vast amounts of supplies at forward bases. Drones can even be launched from submarines or small mobile units, which are difficult to detect.

Most importantly, the U.S. military needs a complete shift in mindset: it can no longer rely on conducting operations from bases that are close to the front lines and absolutely secure. However, Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth is pushing for a series of unsettling adjustments, including personnel changes. It is hard to imagine that the armed forces can focus on such a significant strategic shift under these circumstances. The top military officers who were unjustly dismissed by Hegseth are precisely the core talents needed for the military to adapt to this drone revolution and drive significant changes in U.S. combat methods. (Translated by Liu Yuehua)