Alwaght- The US' establishment of military bases around the world and particularly in West Asia following the Cold War and also Soviet Union collapse is one of the most important Washington’s instruments to create hegemony and save it internationally. The US military bases especially in West Asia played a key role in preserving the US influence in the Arab states. This report gives an introduction of the US military bases and their functions in the Persian Gulf Arab countries.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is the key headquarter of the central US military command in West Asia. Using different covert and overt military bases on the Saudi soil, the US military forces conduct operations in Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Iraq, and Iran.
Prince Sultan Air Base is considered as the most significant command center of the US air force in the region. It holds 5,000 US army staff responsible for handling over 80 fighter jets and other combat and surveillance aircraft of the US army, including the U-2 spy planes. The air base played a crucial role in conducting monitoring flights of the US forces over the no-fly zone in northern and southern Iraq in the 1990s. At the same time the base operates as an open coordination center of the spy operations and mass data collection as well as eavesdropping in the region.
Furthermore, the most notable Saudi regions in which the US military has established military bases or is allowed to use them are Tabuk Air Base in northwest, Khamis Mushayt Air Base in south of the kingdom, Al Gharbia Air Base in Jeddah, and Zahran Military Base in the Eastern Region.
These military bases represent the infrastructures for the US military forces' presence in Saudi Arabia. The command centers of these bases hold a full domination over activities of the military units across the region and the other smaller air, sea, and ground bases in the kingdom and abroad.
Kuwait
One of the most significant US military bases in the Persian Gulf region is located in Kuwait. Kuwait in 1987 during the Tanker War in the region signed an agreement with the US, according to which every 11 oil tankers of Kuwait went under cover of the US army’s protection. After driving the Iraqi forces out of Kuwait in 1991 and warming up security relations between Kuwait and Washington, the Kuwaiti government inked a defense cooperation accord with the US. According to the deal, Kuwait undertook commitment to provide large-scale services for the US military personnel stationed on its soil.
In 2003, Kuwait offered all of its territory to the US forces. All of its ports, airports, and military bases were mobilized as Washington was making preparations to invade Iraq. Besides, the Kuwaiti government gave $266 million in aids to the American forces to contribute to the operation for occupation of Iraq. As part of defense agreement, Kuwait pledged to provide the US forces with camping places for air and ground units as well as places for stockpiling the US ammunition used in anti-Iraqi war. These bases accommodated tens of thousands of the US military personnel– sometimes 25,000 to ever 130,000 troops– and 20,000 British troops involved in Iraq war. They were also home for thousands of tanks, and hundreds of fighter jets and helicopters.
Qatar
In 1992 Qatar and the US signed a deal to expand bilateral military and security cooperation. The deal is still standing up to now. According to the Canadian institute of Global Research the major drive behind founding the US military bases in Qatar is formation of a consistency of interests between Washington and the Qatari ruling structures. The Qatari leaders in exchange for hosting the US military bases on their soil receive the US support for them to continue staying in power. Washington in return for saving the ruling regime realizes its key goal which is keeping the anti-US parties from holding sway in the region.
According to a research by the (Persian) Gulf Center for Strategic Studies, Qatar hosts one of the leading US military infrastructures in the region. The air command center of the United States Central Command (Centcom) was relocated from Saudi Arabia to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar between 2002 and 2003. The Qatari government spent over $400 million to develop the center and to pave the way for it to be upgraded to a military base. However, there are claims that the key code word of the American military activities in Qatar is Camp Snoopy which is also recognized as Doha International Air Base. Other US military bases in Qatar include Al Udeid Air Base and Al-Sailiya military base.
Bahrain
From mid-20th century, and exactly since 1967 Bahrain has been home to the foreign military bases. In that year the British government decided to move its key sea base from Aden in Yemen to Bahrain. Several years later when the British decided to end their military presence in east of Suez Canal, the vacuum of their withdrawal was gradually filled with the US forces. In 1995, Bahrain was officially announced as home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet. According to the deal, the Bahraini government allowed the US 5th Fleet to be stationed near Manama the capital and 4200 personnel were deployed to Bahrain. The fleet includes a couple of aircraft carriers, submarines, and destroyers docked at the coast of Bahrain. Furthermore, over 70 fighter jets, and several bombers and air refueling tanks were deployed to Sheikh Isa Air Base near Manama. But the major US army’s base in Bahrain is Al Jufair Air Base located some 8 kilometers away from southeastern Manama. It is the main headquarter of the 5th Fleet. A majority of the US Navy’s command centers are located in Manama in this base which is as big as 4 square kilometers. It contains 40 US army’s command centers. They all operate under control of the US regional command center.
Oman
Overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, Oman has a special place in the US government’s strategy. According to the reports by the US, Washington has constructed a multifunction air base in Oman and deployed to it its B-1 bombers and a couple of air refueling aircraft. The Oman-based bases majorly function as logistic and service platforms of the air bridges between different bases in the region.
According to a report by the US Congressional Research Service published in June 28, 2005, before the 9/11 attacks, the US government had 5 military bases on the Oman soil. Additionally, according to the signed agreements the US military was allowed access to 24 other Omani bases and military centers.
The UAE
Aside from access to several ports on to the Persian Gulf’s deep waters, the US army has at least one air base and several multifunction logistic and support centers in the UAE. The Emirati deep coastal waters allow the huge US warships to dock at them. In 1994, the UAE signed a defense and military cooperation agreement with Washington. According to the deal, the US opened a military relations office in the Arab sheikhdom. Washington received an array of services for its military forces operating in the UAE.
The US army currently has open military presence in Zayed, Jebel Ali, Dubai, and Fujairah ports. This comes while there are very little information about secret military cooperation of the two sides. The participation of the selected units from the UAE armed forces along with the Israeli, Pakistani, and Spanish forces in the annual Red Flag war games in Nevada, US which is special for Washington’s close allies shows the depth of their cooperation.
