From aboard the US aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford
Foreign military bases and forces are spread throughout the Middle East, and the United States tops the list, according to data.
Between 40,000 and 60,000 American soldiers are deployed within the scope of the US Central Command. These forces are distributed across 21 countries, from Egypt in the west to Kazakhstan in the northeast, for the purposes of training, advice, and serving American bases, according to the Stripes website of the US Army.
The United States has maintained a strong presence in the Middle East since the establishment of the Fifth Fleet. It often maintains two aircraft carriers, with its battle groups, and they are equipped with thousands of personnel.
Data from Agence France-Presse indicate the presence of 18 ships, including the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman, and three guided-missile destroyers: the USS Lassen, the USS Farragut, and the USS Forest Sherman. “And the guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy.”
American deployment in the Middle East
American deployment in the Middle East
Following the outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel this October, the United States announced the sending of the aircraft carriers “USS Gerald Ford” and “USS Eisenhower” and support ships for them, and about 2,000 marines, as well as “THAAD” batteries and additional batteries from the system. “Patriot.”
The Pentagon also ordered additional warplanes to support A-10, F-15 and F-16 squadrons based in the Middle East.
The largest American base in the Middle East is located in Qatar. In Bahrain, the headquarters of the Fifth Fleet is located, which consists of battle groups of aircraft carriers and submarines, permanently stationed amphibious forces, mine clearance forces and maritime surveillance forces, according to the Washington Post.
Sheikh Issa Air Base, south of Manama, hosts American military aircraft, including F-16, F/A-18, and P-3 surveillance aircraft, according to Chatham House, a research institution.
As part of defense cooperation with Kuwait following Operation Desert Storm in 1991, American soldiers were deployed to locations, the most important of which was Ali Al Salem Air Base. The United States maintains about 10,000 American soldiers at its bases there, including about 1,400 permanently, and the rest constitute a temporary force distributed to conflict areas in the region, and this number increases or decreases according to changes and risks, according to the Gulf Center for Studies and Research in Kuwait.
In Qatar, the headquarters of the US forces was transferred after leaving Saudi Arabia in 2003, to Al Udeid Air Base southwest of Doha. The base is now the largest American military facility in the Middle East.
There, the Joint Air Operations Center is located, responsible for coordinating the US air forces and its allies throughout the Middle East, especially in the airspace over Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.
Following the 2014 ISIS invasion of vast areas in Iraq and Syria, the United States deployed forces in the two countries for the purposes of training and advising local partner forces. Currently, there are about 2,500 soldiers in Iraq and another 900 soldiers in Syria.
In Egypt, American soldiers represent the majority of the members of the multinational observer mission supervising the implementation of the Camp David Accords.
In Israel, American soldiers are deployed at the Mashabim Air Base in the Negev Desert to support the “Iron Dome” missile defense system, according to the “Times of Israel.”
Most of the American forces in Jordan are stationed at King Faisal Air Base in Al-Jafr.
Saudi Arabia ended the presence of military bases on its territory in 2003, although a limited number of soldiers remained within the framework of training and military cooperation tasks between the two countries.
In the UAE, Al Dhafra Air Base is one of the most important military installations throughout the region, and the United States has maintained a military presence there for more than a quarter of a century.
Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base, close to many potential trouble spots in the world, is an important base for the United States and NATO, providing rapid response to events.
other countries
In 2018, it opened in Juffair, Bahrain, the first permanent British base in the Middle East in 4 decades. It hosts about 500 British naval personnel, including sailors, soldiers and pilots.
According to Anatolia, a Turkish military base was established in Qatar, and Turkish ground forces were deployed there, as part of a military cooperation agreement signed by the two countries on December 19, 2014. The agreement allows the possibility of exchanging the deployment of joint forces between the two countries if the need arises, and conducting joint military maneuvers.
France deployed forces in Iraq within the framework of the international coalition to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, an operation led by the United States.
French soldiers are training Iraqi security forces to defeat ISIS, and Mirage fighter jets are carrying out air strikes in Iraq and Syria.
In the Emirates, the French Naval Command for the Indian Ocean is stationed in Abu Dhabi, and France has three bases: Al Dhafra Air Base, the naval base in Zayed Port, and the land base in Zayed Military City. France uses these bases to support missions to combat ISIS, according to the American Foreign Policy Research Institute.
Russian presence
Moscow has intervened strongly in the Middle East to save Bashar al-Assad’s regime since 2015, and Russia represents the largest military force in Syria now, and the Russian presence is concentrated in two bases: the Hmeimim Air Base located in Latakia, and the Tartous Naval Base, the latter of which is Russia’s only one in the Mediterranean Sea, according to reports. A precedent for Al-Hurra website.
Russia deployed “Wagner” mercenaries in regions in the Middle East, including Libya, Sudan, and Syria. The Wagner Group began its work in Sudan in 2017, providing military training for intelligence, special forces, and the Rapid Support Forces, according to Sudanese officials and documents shared with the Associated Press.
There were reports of an agreement between Russia and Sudan to establish a supply and maintenance base