The Epoch Times reported on the 10th (local time) that Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao admitted that a US military base stationed in Bahrain suffered severe damage from Iranian attacks.

Concluding his visit to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard the previous day, Cao mentioned the Naval Support Activity Bahrain, stating, "They [Iran] smashed Bahrain."

Bahrain hosts the Naval Support Activity base, which serves as the headquarters for US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and the US Fifth Fleet, playing a critical role in operations across the Middle East.

The Epoch Times explained that while the possibility of damage to the Bahrain base had been raised previously, this marks the first time a high-ranking US government official has directly and officially acknowledged the impact of the war with Iran.

Iran has been heavily bombing US military bases in the Middle East in response to US attacks, with the US military base in Bahrain considered a top-priority target.

When asked whether there is a need to repair the naval support facility in Bahrain to maintain forces in the Middle East, Cao replied, "There is a task force reviewing that."

Previously, at a US Navy town hall event on August 31, when a sailor who had served at the base asked if they could retrieve belongings left behind, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle replied, "We are working on a plan," while adding, "We do not plan to return to that base anytime soon," hinting at the substantial scale of the damage.

Regarding Cao's remarks, security consultant Jim Webb pointed out to The Epoch Times, "This suggests that the current US military posture in the Middle East must endure ongoing attacks," adding, "I don't think there is a way to adequately defend the Naval Support Activity Bahrain and other logistical hubs."

As US outposts in the Middle East have exposed vulnerabilities to Iranian attacks in this war, questions are being raised about the necessity and utility of maintaining bases of this nature.

Former US Central Command Commander David Petraeus stated in a recent interview, "Forward military outposts in the Middle East are no longer viable," noting that Central Command Commander Gen. Brad Cooper has also had to direct operations from a distance rather than from within the Middle East.

He emphasized, "Iran now possesses capabilities it did not have before—large quantities of drones and missiles with the range to threaten and strike our military facilities and kill US service members."

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