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U.S. military and intelligence officials are discussing a possible reduction in troops and facilities permanently based in the Middle East if the Trump administration succeeds in ending the conflict with Iran, CNN reported, citing six sources.
The discussions are informal and could reshape Washington’s military and intelligence posture in a region where the U.S. greatly expanded its presence after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
About 50,000 U.S. troops remain deployed across the Middle East alongside major military assets, including two aircraft carriers and more than a dozen guided-missile destroyers.
Two sources told CNN that the military has developed several options for adjusting its regional force structure as early as next year, though no formal force posture review has been ordered.
Senior Pentagon officials have privately discussed reducing troop levels in several Gulf countries while shifting more responsibility for defense to regional partners.
At the same time, the Pentagon is studying ways to strengthen protection for U.S. forces expected to remain, including potentially moving some installations underground to shield them from Iranian missile and drone attacks.
“The vulnerabilities were always known, but the U.S. never acted on it with urgency,” a U.S. official told CNN.
The issue gained urgency after Iranian strikes damaged American facilities across the region. CNN reported that a CIA outpost in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was effectively destroyed, while U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were also hit.
Officials are also considering whether some intelligence and special operations missions could be carried out without permanent regional bases, with personnel and equipment deploying from the U.S. for specific missions before returning home.
Washington may decide not to rebuild certain facilities that were badly damaged or destroyed because of the cost.
Pentagon Comptroller Jules “Jay” Hurst III said in April that decisions on rebuilding damaged installations would depend partly on Washington’s future regional posture.
Despite discussions about reducing the U.S. footprint, Washington and Tehran remain far from a settlement. Iran continues to target U.S. forces and bases, including attacks last week on American installations in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
Pentagon officials broadly expect the U.S. to retain some large permanent bases in the Middle East, although reconstruction could depend on host countries helping cover costs that could reach billions of dollars.
U.S. forces are also expected to remain vulnerable to Iranian attacks in the near term.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said last week that U.S. Navy personnel would not return soon to Bahrain, the traditional home of the 5th Fleet.
“We’re not getting back in there anytime soon,” Caudle said.
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