Mapping US troops and military bases in the Middle East

The United States has maintained a subject beingness successful the Middle East for decades, presently stationing betwixt 40,000 and 50,000 troops crossed astatine slightest 19 sites.

The United States announced connected Wednesday that it is preparing a partial evacuation of its embassy successful Iraq and has authorised “the voluntary departure” of dependants of American unit from locations crossed the Middle East, including Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, arsenic determination information concerns rise.

On Wednesday evening, US President Donald Trump explained that the determination to relocate unit was made due to the fact that the portion “could beryllium a unsafe place”.

Tensions person been rising recently, fuelled by stalled negotiations betwixt the US and Iran implicit its nuclear programme, further inflamed by Israel’s repeated statements that it is prepared to motorboat a onslaught connected Iran.

Where are US subject bases successful the Middle East?

The US has operated subject bases successful the Middle East for decades.

According to the Council connected Foreign Relations, the US operates a wide web of subject sites, some imperishable and temporary, crossed astatine slightest 19 locations successful the region.

Of these, 8 are imperishable bases, located crossed Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

(Al Jazeera)

How galore US troops are successful the Middle East?

The US’s archetypal deployment of soldiers successful the Middle East was successful July 1958 erstwhile combat troops were sent to Beirut during the Lebanon Crisis. At its tallness determination were astir 15,000 Marines and Army troops successful Lebanon.

As of mid-2025, determination are astir 40,000 to 50,000 US troops successful the Middle East, comprising unit stationed successful some large, imperishable bases and smaller guardant sites crossed the region.

The countries with the astir US troops see Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. These installations service arsenic captious hubs for aerial and naval operations, determination logistics, quality gathering and unit projection.

Below are immoderate notable bases successful the region.

• Al Udeid Air Base (Qatar) – The largest US subject basal successful the Middle East, established successful 1996. Covering an country of 24 hectares (60 acres), the basal accommodates astir 100 craft arsenic good arsenic drones. This base, which houses immoderate 10,000 troops, serves arsenic the guardant office for US Central Command (CENTCOM) and has been cardinal to operations successful Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

US President Donald Trump gestures portion delivering remarks to US troops during a sojourn to Al Udeid Air Base successful Doha, Qatar, connected May 15, 2025 [Brian Snyder/Reuters]

• Naval Support Activity, NSA (Bahrain) – The existent US naval basal sits connected the tract of the erstwhile British naval installation, HMS Jufair. The basal hosts astir 9,000 Department of Defense personnel, including subject and civilian staff. Home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, the basal provides information to ships, aircraft, detachments and distant sites successful the region.

A US Navy Martin UAV drone flies implicit Gulf waters arsenic Royal Bahraini Naval Force (RBNF) Abdulrahman Al Fadhel takes portion successful associated naval workout betwixt US Fifth Fleet Command and Bahraini forces, connected October 26, 2021 [Mazen Mahdi/AFP]

• Camp Arifjan (Kuwait) – Camp Arifjan is simply a large US Army basal located astir 55km (34 miles) southeast of Kuwait City. Constructed successful 1999, it serves arsenic the superior logistics, proviso and bid hub for US subject operations successful the Middle East, peculiarly wrong the US CENTCOM country of responsibility.

Former US President George W Bush greets subject unit successful Camp Arifjan, Kuwait [File: Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images]

• Al-Dhafra airbase (UAE) – A strategical basal focused connected reconnaissance, quality gathering and supporting combat aerial operations. The basal hosts precocious craft specified arsenic the F-22 Raptor stealth fighters and assorted surveillance planes, including drones and AWACS.

The F-22 Raptor is simply a fifth-generation stealth combatant pitchy utilized by the US to support aerial superiority and bolster determination deterrence successful the Gulf [Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters]

• Erbil Air Base (Iraq) – Used by US forces for aerial operations, peculiarly successful bluish Iraq and Syria, wherever troops counsel Kurdish and Iraqi forces.

Former US Vice President Mike Pence delivers remarks to US troops astatine a subject installation astatine Erbil International Airport successful Erbil, Iraq, connected November 23, 2019 [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]