Britain has signed an agreement with Bahrain to expand and consolidate its long-term naval presence in the Persian Gulf, while, two months later, Pentagon reported its studies on the Fifth Fleet location in Bahrain. "We will now be based again in the [Persian] Gulf for the long term,”, British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said on Friday.
Chuck Hagel, America Secretary of Defense who was ousted due to his failure to resolve Syria's Kobani crisis, reported his team's studies on Bahrain's developments to Obama. "trend of Bahrain developments and incapability of Bahraini regime to set increasing Bahraini people protests or make an agreement with them, has made Manama insecure for Fifth Fleet headquarters, where troops cannot transport freely," Hagel reported Obama confidentially." Status quo maintenance in Bahrain, while Bahraini people see US as Bahraini government's supporter, occurrence of severe events against fifth fleet's forces and military equipments, like what had happened in Dhahran, is predictable," he added. Chuck Hagel has proposed to transfer Fifth Fleet location to a safer place. Barak Obama, reportedly, has accepted Hagel's arguments. He has ordered to find a new location for the America's fleet.
When Saudi officials were informed of the American Fifth Fleet transfer, Mutaib bin Abdullah, Saudi's Minister of the National Guard, visited Washington on 24 November, to announce it countries concerns over America's decision. Mutaib's public speeches on Saudi-America differences on the Bahrain Issue after his return from America, indicates that America's Fifth Fleet transfer is definite.
Therefore, Saudi and Bahraini officials approached Britain to fill the vacuum left America's military withdrawal that is an indicative of its withdrawal from the Persian Gulf. Philip Hammond, Britain foreign minister, made a £15 billion deal to establish a military base in Bahrain that is sponsored by Bahraini king.
Meanwhile, Michael Fallon told in a brief statement, "The arrangement will improve onshore facilities at the Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) Mina Salman Port in Bahrain, where the UK has four mine-hunter warships permanently based and from where British Destroyers and Frigates in the Gulf are supported. Under the arrangement, the UK is planning to bolster the existing facilities at the Port, providing the Royal Navy with a forward operating base and a place to plan, store equipment for naval operations and accommodate Royal Navy personnel".
The guardian news paper, meanwhile, implicitly affirmed pentagon's confidential plan, saying that fear of Bahrain's revolution's success led to striking a military deal between two kingdoms.
Regarding anti-Imperialistic sentiment of the region's people, some regional observes believe that November 6th deal between Bahrain and Britain will evoke dissatisfaction of the region's nations.
