Bahrain, a Persian Gulf monarchy and the smallest Arab country, has an outsized role both in U.S. national security and, since 2011, in the criticism it has received in Congress, from the State Department, and from human rights organizations.
The U.S. relies on Bahrain as Fifth Fleet headquarters host. What this means in practice is that almost every U.S. aircraft carrier or amphibious assault ship which deploys to the Middle East will at some point pull into the island. Even when they do not, Bahrain serves as a crucial base for resupply, personnel transit, fuel, and mail. But it’s not just ships and naval aviation which call Bahrain home: In times of crisis, Bahrain regularly hosts other U.S. aircraft. While many Qatar lobbyists urge a soft U.S. hand in the face of that country’s support for extremism largely because Qatar is home to Al Udeid airbase, Bahrain’s Sheikh Isa airbase hosted four times as many U.S. planes during Operation Desert Storm. In times of crisis, Bahrain stands with the U.S. not only in rhetoric but also in deed.
