--- title: "Iran ‘blew the hell out of’ base in Bahrain, acting Navy Secretary admits" description: "The base, home to the Navy’s 5th Fleet and a major logistics hub, was targeted repeatedly at the start of the war." date: "2026-09-13" modified: "2026-09-13" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-base-bahrain-iran-damage/" categories: - "Around the World" - "Iran" - "Middle East" - "Military Branches" - "Navy" - "News" tags: - "adsafety" - "central command" --- # Iran ‘blew the hell out of’ base in Bahrain, acting Navy Secretary admits ![MANAMA, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 28: Smoke rises after Iran carried out a missile strike on the main headquarters of the U.S. Navyâs 5th Fleet in Manama in retaliation against US-Israeli attacks, in Bahrain February 28, 2026. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images) ]() *Smoke rises from Naval Support Activity Bahrain on Feb. 28, 2026. Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images.* Iran's attacks on the 5th Fleet's base in Bahrain were severe, the acting Secretary of the Navy admitted this past week. “They blew the hell out of Bahrain,” acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said in an [interview]() with The Epoch Times. The military has largely been quiet on the extent of damage to Naval Support Activity Bahrain since the outbreak of the war, with Cao’s remarks being a rare admission of the severity. At the outbreak of the [war](), Iran launched waves of attacks at U.S. installations around the Middle East, including deadly strikes in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Bahrain, home to the Navy's 5th Fleet, was attacked repeatedly with drones and missiles. The base was evacuated, with personnel moved to nearby hotels or other buildings in Manama, Bahrain, which were also targeted. After the initial attacks, the Pentagon said that operations were not significantly impacted. Earlier this summer, the Wall Street Journal, citing satellite imagery and interviews with personnel, [reported]() that the base had suffered "extensive damage,” with command buildings and satellites hit. Cao’s comments come after the top officer in the Navy admitted that the Navy is "not getting back in \[the base in Bahrain\] anytime soon." "I just want to be completely honest with that," Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said during a [townhall]() on Aug. 31. One of the few indications of the condition of the base came through the military families displaced by the attacks. More than 1,000 military family members were evacuated from Bahrain and have spent months not knowing if they will return. Stars and Stripes [reported]() last month that military and civilian staff, as well as family, won't return for "the foreseeable future," citing a message to the families. Iranian attacks have damaged installations in Jordan, Iraq and elsewhere in the region, but repeated hits to Bahrain presented other challenges to the Navy. Beyond being the headquarters for the 5th Fleet, the base is also a logistics hub for the Navy in the Middle East. Due to the damage, many of those supplies were shifted to Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, much farther away. That in turn led to [issues]() with delivery of supplies to deployed ships in the region, such as the USS Abraham Lincoln. Cao also said in his remarks that he has a task force "looking" at what steps to take with the base, but did not elaborate on that. A Navy official said the Navy has “nothing additional to provide at this time,” with regards to Cao’s remarks. ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()