U.S. military mulls pulling troops out of Persian Gulf, reducing Mideast presence amid Iran tensions

The United States Department of Defense has entered a review process to assess the reduction of military size in the Middle East following the U.S.-Iran war. According to the Washington Post, the Pentagon is considering the reduction of troops in Persian Gulf region, including the withdrawal of troops in Persian Gulf. This measure comes after the devastating impact of Iran's attacks on Middle East military bases during the war.

The decision rests with the Office of Policy Planning, not Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, while the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.S. Central Command are conducting their own research on the matter. The officials say this assessment is a careful planning stage to determine whether to rebuild damaged bases after the war, depending on the decision of the executive branch.

This issue could escalate into a debate between supporters of active U.S. military intervention in the region and those who believe some defensive measures should be reduced to control more powerful adversaries like China or control American domestic defense concerns. Past neoconservative factions within the Trump administration still argue for a comprehensive military intervention to maintain U.S. dominance, while other factions prioritize confronting China as the top priority.

The assessment also includes Brigadier General David Braler, the commander of U.S. Central Command, who supports the movement of troops westward from Persian Gulf to safer locations. In February, before the war began, the U.S. Central Command had deemed the Middle East military bases too vulnerable to Iranian missile and drone attacks to maintain a normal troop level and began withdrawing personnel from several bases.

Under the Trump 1st administration, the National Security Council's Middle East representative, Allison Myers, said that even a small force in the Gulf countries could maintain security through arms sales and information sharing. The U.S. Central Command deploys around 20 bases across a 1,500-mile stretch from Jordan to Oman. Since the beginning of the year, the U.S. Navy has heavily deployed aircraft carriers, fighter jets, missile defense systems, and other scarce military assets to the region in an effort to target over 13,000 Iranian strikes.

The largest and most permanent bases in the region are located in Persian Gulf, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based. Other countries in the region have deployed ground and air assets. However, Persian Gulf bases have been largely incapacitated or reduced in personnel since the first day of the war. The Bahraini Bahrain Naval Base was attacked on the war's first day, killing six U.S. Marines and damaging or destroying over 200 U.S. facilities throughout the war.

The U.S. military has also exhausted over 1,000 advanced surface-to-air missiles and depleted its Patriot and S-200 missile inventories in the process. Iranian retaliation against Persian Gulf bases has put the region in a crisis, causing concerns among key Gulf allies. Michael R. McCaul, former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, noted that the war has clearly shown the vulnerability of U.S. forces in the region, suggesting that moving troops and equipment to Jordan, Israel, or Saudi Arabia on the western side could help ease pressure, but it is not a perfect solution.

Critics within the Trump administration, represented by the "Defense Priorities" think tank, have proposed closing bases in Qatar and other areas under Iranian missile strike range and relocating forces to safer locations such as the Prince Sultan Air Base in Riyadh. Meanwhile, the American Security Center, representing hawkish pro-Israel factions, has called for moving U.S. forces to the Israeli Oudama Air Base.

However, there is disagreement within the administration about expanding U.S. military presence in Israel due to concerns over intelligence operations and vulnerability to enemy artillery fire. The Defense Policy Branch of the Brookings Institution, which represents proponents of prioritizing confrontation with China, has launched a public review of U.S. military presence in NATO, which is expected to be completed by December.