Overview
- Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao told The Epoch Times on Thursday that Iranian strikes “blew the hell out of Bahrain,” marking the first high‑level, on‑the‑record acknowledgment of extensive damage at Naval Support Activity Bahrain.
- Cao said the damage left the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with “no place for them to pull in,” highlighting immediate logistic gaps that contributed to an extended at‑sea deployment and reported morale and equipment strains aboard the ship.
- The Navy has convened a task force to assess whether to repair, reoccupy, or otherwise address the future of the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, and senior leaders have already said personnel will not return there soon.
- Cao’s remarks conflict with earlier U.S. military statements that downplayed operational impact, and Iran’s foreign minister publicly praised the admission, underscoring how the comment changed the public narrative and drew political attention.
- Naval Support Activity Bahrain is the Fifth Fleet’s logistics and command hub for the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, repair estimates of damaged sections have been reported near $400 million, and the review could force broader changes to U.S. force posture and sailor support in the region.