Mapping US troops and army bases within the Center East

[ad_1] The USA has maintained a army presence within the Center East for many years, at the moment stationing between 40,000 and 50,000 troops throughout a minimum of 19 websites.

The USA announced on Wednesday that it's making ready a partial evacuation of its embassy in Iraq and has authorised “the voluntary departure” of dependants of American personnel from places throughout the Center East, together with Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, as regional safety issues rise.

On Wednesday night, US President Donald Trump defined that the choice to relocate employees was made as a result of the area “might be a harmful place”.

Tensions have been rising not too long ago, fuelled by stalled negotiations between the US and Iran over its nuclear programme, additional infected by Israel’s repeated statements that it's ready to launch a strike on Iran.

The place are US army bases within the Center East? The US has operated army bases within the Center East for many years.

In keeping with the Council on Overseas Relations, the US operates a broad community of army websites, each everlasting and non permanent, throughout a minimum of 19 places within the area.

Of those, eight are everlasting bases, positioned throughout Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

(Al Jazeera) What number of US troops are within the Center East? The US’s first deployment of troopers within the Center East was in July 1958 when fight troops have been despatched to Beirut through the Lebanon Disaster. At its peak there have been virtually 15,000 Marines and Military troops in Lebanon.

As of mid-2025, there are about 40,000 to 50,000 US troops within the Center East, comprising personnel stationed in each massive, everlasting bases and smaller ahead websites throughout the area.

The international locations with essentially the most US troops embody Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. These installations function vital hubs for air and naval operations, regional logistics, intelligence gathering and power projection.

Beneath are some notable bases within the area.

Al Udeid Air Base (Qatar) – The most important US army base within the Center East, established in 1996. Protecting an space of 24 hectares (60 acres), the bottom accommodates virtually 100 plane in addition to drones. This base, which homes some 10,000 troops, serves because the ahead headquarters for US Central Command (CENTCOM) and has been central to operations in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. US President Donald Trump gestures whereas delivering remarks to US troops throughout a go to to Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, on Could 15, 2025 [Brian Snyder/Reuters] Naval Assist Exercise, NSA (Bahrain) – The present US naval base sits on the location of the previous British naval set up, HMS Jufair. The bottom hosts roughly 9,000 Division of Protection personnel, together with army and civilian employees. Dwelling to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, the bottom gives safety to ships, plane, detachments and distant websites within the area. A US Navy Martin UAV drone flies over Gulf waters as Royal Bahraini Naval Drive (RBNF) Abdulrahman Al Fadhel takes half in joint naval train between US Fifth Fleet Command and Bahraini forces, on October 26, 2021 [Mazen Mahdi/AFP] Camp Arifjan (Kuwait) – Camp Arifjan is a serious US Military base positioned about 55km (34 miles) southeast of Kuwait Metropolis. Constructed in 1999, it serves as the first logistics, provide and command hub for US army operations within the Center East, notably throughout the US CENTCOM space of accountability. <img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" class="size-arc-image-770 wp-image-3770302" src="https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GettyImages-525603270-1749735186.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80" alt="US President George W. Bush greets military personnel in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Bush is visiting this sprawling military base, the largest US base in Kuwait which is home to some 9,000 American troops during his scheduled tour of the region. (Photo by Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images)" fetchpriority="low"/> Former US President George W Bush greets army personnel in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait [File: Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images]

Al-Dhafra airbase (UAE) – A strategic base centered on reconnaissance, intelligence gathering and supporting fight air operations. The bottom hosts superior plane such because the F-22 Raptor stealth fighters and numerous surveillance planes, together with drones and AWACS. The F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation stealth fighter jet utilized by the US to take care of air superiority and bolster regional deterrence within the Gulf [Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters] Erbil Air Base (Iraq) – Utilized by US forces for air operations, notably in northern Iraq and Syria, the place troops advise Kurdish and Iraqi forces. Former US Vice President Mike Pence delivers remarks to US troops at a army facility at Erbil Worldwide Airport in Erbil, Iraq, on November 23, 2019 [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters] [ad_2] Source link