The Wall Street Journal reports that the Pentagon is considering a significant reduction of its permanent military footprint in Kuwait, a key logistics hub for three decades, after a surge in Iranian attacks on the country. The move is part of a broader reassessment of US force posture in the Gulf.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Pentagon is considering a significant reduction of its permanent military presence in Kuwait, which has served as a key logistics hub for US Central Command for three decades. The potential drawdown, attributed to the increasing frequency of Iranian attacks on the country, marks a new phase in the US reassessment of its Gulf footprint. The report comes a day after The Zioneer covered the US re-examination of its Gulf posture, with officials describing Iranian strikes as a strategic 'wake-up call'.
On Thursday at 10:25 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that the United States was re-examining its military posture in the Persian Gulf, citing unnamed officials. Earlier that morning, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense confirmed that an Iranian strike on a building owned by a Chinese company in northern Kuwait had killed a Chinese worker and caused significant damage. The Iranian military subsequently claimed the strikes were retaliation for US attacks on Iran and Qeshm Island, though the claim has not been independently verified. The sequence of events that day — from the attack to the rapid US reassessment — underscored the severity of the threat to Kuwait's stability.
The potential reduction in Kuwait is part of a broader strategic shift. As The Zioneer reported on June 26, a Wall Street Journal investigation revealed that Iranian strikes caused over $400 million in damage to the US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain. That report indicated that the Pentagon was already evaluating a reduction of forces in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, with some destroyed sites possibly not rebuilt and command centers moving underground. The possibility of shifting assets westward, including to Israel, was also under consideration. The latest report suggests that the specific threat environment in Kuwait — which has faced repeated Iranian strikes using ballistic missiles and drones — is now driving the Pentagon's thinking.
The WSJ report is based on unnamed officials, and the specific timeline, scope, and operational details of any potential reduction have not been disclosed. The Zioneer has not independently verified the report. The Pentagon has not issued an official statement on the matter.
9 developments
- DevelopingWSJ: US considers reducing Gulf presence, moving assets to Israel after Iranian strikes
- DevelopingSenior Iranian official: Attacks on US Gulf bases forced Pentagon to rethink force posture
- DevelopingUS soldiers say Pentagon downplayed their injuries after Iran drone strike in Kuwait
- StrongKuwait Army reports renewed attacks amid Iran-US escalation
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