Iran’s Strike on U.S. Navy’s Bahrain Headquarters Impacted Families and Logistics

On the war’s first day, Iran launched a strike on the U.S. Navy’s headquarters in Bahrain. This happened before the U.S. completed the evacuation of military families there. Some families waited over a week to find safety, with several sharing their experiences with CBS News.

You’re definitely scared. As the week goes on, you wake up to ballistic missiles being fired. We went to sleep with the sound of ballistic missiles again.

Iran’s missile and drone attacks on Bahrain continued for days. The intensity and persistence of these attacks surprised the U.S. government. Three sources told CBS News that the U.S. had not required family evacuations until after the attacks began.

Military officials anticipated some retaliation, evacuating headquarters’ buildings on the base. However, they did not expect the attack’s scale. Military families lived off-base and witnessed missile contrails and heard explosions. CBS News granted anonymity to these spouses due to fears of retaliation.

No military personnel died in the attacks, but images on social media, which sources confirmed as authentic, showed extensive base damage. An image depicted an explosion from an attack targeting a key radar system. The Pentagon has not publicly estimated the damage cost.

According to Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, Iran’s attacks heavily damaged Bahrain. Since the 1990s, Naval Support Activity Bahrain served as a logistics hub for ships in the Middle East. It supported around 8,300 military personnel and dependents.

The base’s damage impacted sailors at sea. Earlier this year, the USS Abraham Lincoln faced food shortages. The Navy altered resupply routes, moving some supplies from Bahrain to Diego Garcia, 2,200 miles away. This extended route took 14-18 days, compared to 5-7 days from Bahrain.

Bahrain was a key logistics hub before the war. Admiral Daryl Caudle, Chief of Naval Operations, acknowledged the need to restructure supply chains in the Middle East. During a town hall, he explained the improvements in logistics.

Caudle informed a sailor evacuated from Bahrain about efforts to retrieve belongings. He emphasized that the Navy did not plan to maintain the same presence on the base.We’re not getting back in there anytime soon, I just want to be completely honest with that.

A Navy spokesperson explained that service members in Bahrain can ship goods and vehicles or arrange a representative to assist.

The Impact on Military Families and Financial Struggles

Since the war began, the Navy evacuated about 1,450 service members and their families from Bahrain. Many are experiencing financial strain, maintaining households in Bahrain and the U.S.

We have burned through our savings. We have started having to take money out of our kids’ college funds to pay down all the bills that we’re incurring.

The Pentagon offers benefits to reimburse housing costs, but processing claims takes weeks to months.

The Navy maintains communication with affected members and provides individual support and relocation aid. Families have until the end of November to transition to a permanent residence to continue receiving benefits.

Many evacuees relocated to Norfolk, Virginia, or Tampa, Florida. Blue Star Families, a non-profit supporting military families, provided supplies to families in Tampa.

Executive Director Suzy Malloy explained how they helped evacuees with school supplies, clothing, and cooking appliances to adapt temporarily. Families are adjusting, but uncertainty remains.

None of the families blamed the military but expressed frustration over the evacuation and ongoing uncertainty.

Nobody expected this to go on so long.