'US Never Acted On Vulnerabilities': Pentagon May Reduce Military Presence In West Asia After Iran War

The United States is considering a possible reduction in its military and intelligence footprint across West Asia if the Trump administration succeeds in bringing the ongoing war with Iran to an end, CNN reported.

Washington has maintained a significant presence in the region for more than two decades, largely driven by conflicts and counterterrorism operations that followed the September 11, 2001, attacks. Officials are now assessing whether the same level of troops and permanent military infrastructure is still necessary.

“The vulnerabilities were always known, but the US never acted on them with urgency,” a US official said.

Military planners have drawn up potential changes to the US force structure that could be implemented as early as next

year. However, some bases and facilities are expected to remain operational for as long as the conflict continues, given their importance to ongoing military missions and air operations.

CIA personnel who had been withdrawn to the US during the most intense period of fighting are also reportedly returning to the region, the report mentioned.

The US currently has roughly 50,000 troops deployed across the region, supported by two aircraft carriers and more than a dozen guided-missile destroyers. Iranian missile and drone attacks have targeted American facilities, killing 18 US service members. The Pentagon is also examining measures to improve the safety of troops who remain deployed.

Under one proposal, troops and military equipment could be kept in the US and deployed to the region only when specific missions arise. Another possibility is leaving some damaged facilities unrepaired, with the high cost of reconstruction being taken into account.

Bahrain, traditionally the base of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, may not see the immediate return of American personnel. “We’re not getting back in there anytime soon,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said last week.