Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao has publicly acknowledged extensive damage from Iranian attacks on Naval Support Activity Bahrain, the headquarters and principal logistics hub for U.S. naval forces in the Middle East.
Speaking in an interview with The Epoch Times, Cao said Iranian forces “blew the hell out of Bahrain” and indicated that the damage left the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln without its usual regional port for resupply and support.
The unusually direct assessment adds senior-level confirmation to evidence that the Bahrain installation suffered major damage during the U.S.-Iran conflict, according to reporting on Cao’s remarks.
Cao Acknowledges Scale of Bahrain Damage
Naval Support Activity Bahrain in Manama supports U.S. and coalition maritime operations across the U.S. Central Command area. The installation houses the U.S. Fifth Fleet and serves as a major command, logistics, maintenance, and supply center for American warships operating around the Persian Gulf and surrounding waters.
The Navy’s Bahrain installation page outlines its role in supporting regional forces.
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Iran attacked the base with missiles and one-way attack drones beginning on February 28, 2026, during the opening phase of the conflict. Subsequent strikes caused significant damage to facilities used for command and logistics operations. More recent Navy deployment reporting has described how the consequences continue to affect carrier operations.
A Wall Street Journal investigation published in June, based on satellite imagery, verified videos and interviews, documented damage to the base’s command headquarters, multiple other buildings and satellite communications infrastructure. The Journal estimated that rebuilding structures comparable to those damaged could cost roughly $400 million.
No official Pentagon reconstruction estimate matching that figure has been publicly released. The investigation of the damage provided some of the clearest visual evidence of the attack’s scale.
Cao connected the destruction directly to the Navy’s ability to sustain ships at sea, saying the USS Abraham Lincoln had “no place for them to pull in” at Bahrain during its prolonged Middle East deployment. His comments were also circulated in coverage of the interview.
Navy Operations Have Already Shifted
The damage has produced consequences beyond the installation itself.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told sailors on September 1 that the Navy was not expecting to resume normal use of Naval Support Activity Bahrain in the near future.
“We’re not getting back in there anytime soon,” Caudle said while discussing displaced personnel and efforts to recover belongings from the installation. Navy Times reported that the service was preparing for an extended disruption.
The Navy has relied more heavily on Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for logistics. Diego Garcia sits more than 2,000 miles from carrier strike groups operating in the Middle East, increasing the distance required to move food, supplies and other material to deployed ships.
The logistical strain is also shaping preparations for future deployments. Military Times reported on September 9 that the USS Theodore Roosevelt, scheduled to replace the Lincoln in the region, is converting available onboard space for additional storage so its crew can operate longer between resupply opportunities.
Why the Bahrain Base Matters
The Fifth Fleet operates across roughly 2.5 million square miles, covering the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Its operating area includes the Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb and the Suez Canal, three waterways with major importance for global shipping and energy flows.
The Navy describes the Fifth Fleet operating area as encompassing some of the world’s most strategically important maritime routes.
Damage to Bahrain therefore raises a broader military question: whether large, established regional bases remain sustainable when adversaries possess increasingly accurate missiles and drones capable of reaching fixed infrastructure.
Cao said he has formed a task force examining the issue, including whether restoring Bahrain remains necessary for supporting demanding naval deployments.
Navy Weighs the Base’s Future
🚨 BREAKING: Iranian strikes hit U.S. 5th Fleet base in Bahrain
Following Iran’s recent attacks, significant damage has been confirmed at the U.S. Navy’s Naval Support Activity base in Bahrain, home to the 5th Fleet.
• Multiple buildings reportedly destroyed
• Radar domes and key infrastructure hit
• Satellite imagery shows heavy impact inside the base
• Part of a wider Iranian campaign targeting U.S. assets across the Gulf— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) March 18, 2026
No detailed reconstruction timetable had been announced as of September 11. Cao’s task force is examining future basing requirements, while Caudle’s comments indicate that a rapid return to normal operations in Bahrain is not expected.
The question now extends beyond repairing damaged buildings. Navy leaders must determine how to maintain Fifth Fleet operations, supply deployed ships and protect personnel while reducing the vulnerability created by concentrating critical infrastructure at a fixed Gulf installation.
Cao’s remarks provide the clearest senior acknowledgment yet of the scale of the Bahrain damage. The Navy’s altered logistics and deployment planning show that the consequences are already affecting how U.S. maritime forces operate across the region.
