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Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Where troops in Middle East are most vulnerable to Iran strikes
Tens of thousands of U.S. troops are within Iran's striking distance should President Trump decide to wade into Israel's conflict with Tehran and directly attack the country. More than 40,000 American service members and civilians — as well as billions of dollars in military equipment — are in the Middle East, spread out across bases in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Those working in countries closest to Iran, including Iraq and Kuwait, would conceivably have only minutes to prepare for an incoming Iranian strike, a likely outcome should Trump order the U.S. military to join Israel's bombing campaign, experts say. 'If [Iran] had the ballistic missiles ready to go, those strikes could happen in under 15 minutes. Launched to target,' retired Col. Seth Krummrich, vice president at security consultancy firm Global Guardian, told The Hill. 'They move very quickly.' Israel last week unleashed a barrage of airstrikes on Iran that set off the largest conflict ever between the two regional adversaries, with Tehran responding with its own attacks. The war has threatened to pull in the U.S., which says it supports Israel's right to defend itself but has not directly involved itself in the bombing. Trump has not yet decided on possible American military action against Iran, telling reporters through his top spokesperson that he would make his decision within two weeks. 'Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiation that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go in the next two weeks,' according to Trump's statement relayed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday. But Iran has already threatened to directly attack U.S. forces should they enter Israel's war campaign, with the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warning Wednesday that 'Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage.' Tehran's threats aren't idle, as the country has retaliated against Washington in the past, most notably in January 2020, when Trump in his first term ordered an airstrike that killed Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force. The strike, which happened as Soleimani traveled to Baghdad, prompted a swift response from Iran, which days later hammered Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq and another U.S. base in Erbil with 13 ballistic missiles. While no Americans were killed in the largest ballistic missile attack ever against U.S. forces abroad, more than 100 were later diagnosed and treated for traumatic brain injuries. Now, with Trump reportedly considering using the GBU-57 — known as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator or so-called bunker buster bomb — to damage Iran's Fordow nuclear enrichment facility, a similar attack from Tehran could soon be at hand. 'If there was to be a U.S. attack like they dropped the big bunker buster, if that happened, then I would assume that you would see an Iranian missile strike aimed at one or multiple U.S. bases,' said Krummrich, a former Special Forces officer in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the face of such a threat, military officials move to pull valuable assets out of the bases deemed most likely to be attacked, he said, pointing to the departure of some aircraft from Al-Asad Air Base, as seen in public satellite imagery this week. He guessed that Al-Asad Air Base, where many of the roughly 2,500 U.S. service members stationed in Iraq are located, as the most likely target given its close proximity to Iran and the fact that it's been hit in the past. Iran 'would tend to not want to poke the eye' of the United Arab Emirates, where 3,500 U.S. military personnel are located, or Qatar, home of Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military site in the Middle East, Krummrich predicted. About 10,000 American forces are at Al Udeid, the regional headquarters for the U.S. Central Command (Centcom). In addition, 13,500 U.S. troops are stationed across five bases in Kuwait; 9,000 military and civilian personnel are at the Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, Bahrain; and hundreds more troops are placed elsewhere on bases run by Jordan, Syria and Oman. The former head of Centcom, retired Army Gen. Joseph Votel, told The Hill that Middle East bases have protective measures built into them to reduce risk, pointing to the aircraft moved from more vulnerable installations. 'But of course, we have a lot of diplomatic facilities, we have a lot of private sector interests there that could be vulnerable as well,' said Votel, now at the Middle East Institute. 'So, there's a lot of opportunity for Iran here.' U.S. bases and those that house American troops are also at risk of being attacked by Iran-back militias in the region, like in the case when three Army soldiers were killed in a drone attack on a small U.S. outpost in Jordan in January 2024. Following Israel's strikes on Iran on June 13, three drones were shot down near Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq, The Associated Press reported. At least four other U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria have come under fire from Tehran-supported militants since Israel's bombing campaign began, including three installations in northeastern Syria between June 14 and 15, according to local reports. Asked about the attacks, a spokesperson from U.S. Central Command would not confirm or deny whether they took place. 'We are aware of these reports but have nothing operational to provide,' they said, pointing further queries regarding the conflict between Israel and Iran to the White House. U.S. officials this week have insisted that U.S. forces are well prepared to respond to any Iranian-launched attacks, surging more firepower to the Middle East including the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group. The Pentagon also has moved refueling tanker aircraft to the nearby European theater and placed warships in the Mediterranean Sea to help shoot down Iranian missiles targeting Israel. The Nimitz is set to take over from the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, currently in the Arabian Sea to provide security for U.S. forces near the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, but the two vessels will likely overlap for several days. More covertly, the Air Force earlier this week moved a dozen F-16 fighter jets from a base in Italy to Prince Sultan, Saudi Arabia, according to Aurora Intel, which reviews open source information in the Middle East. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to say Wednesday whether he had been asked to provide Trump with military options for Tehran, saying during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that he 'wouldn't disclose that in this forum.' But he added that his job is 'to make sure the president has options, is informed of what those options might be, and what the ramifications of those options might be.' Hegseth also on Wednesday told senators that 'maximum protection' measures were in place in the region. Asked by The Hill whether the protections could adequately repel an Iranian attack, a Pentagon spokesperson referred the outlet to Hegseth's post to social platform X on June 16, when the Defense secretary announced the 'deployment of additional capabilities' to the Middle East. 'Protecting U.S. forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Where troops in Middle East are most vulnerable to Iran strikes
Tens of thousands of U.S. troops are within Iran's striking distance should President Trump decide to wade into Israel's conflict with Tehran and directly attack the country. More than 40,000 American service members and civilians – as well as billions of dollars in military equipment – are in the Middle East, spread out across bases in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Those working in countries closest to Iran, including Iraq and Kuwait, would conceivably have only minutes to prepare for an incoming Iranian strike, a likely outcome should Trump order the U.S. military to join Israel's bombing campaign, experts say. 'If [Iran] had the ballistic missiles ready to go, those strikes could happen in under 15 minutes. Launched to target,' retired Col. Seth Krummrich, vice president at security consultancy firm Global Guardian, told The Hill. 'They move very quickly.' Israel last week unleashed a barrage of airstrikes on Iran that set off the largest conflict ever between the two regional adversaries, with Tehran responding with its own attacks. The war has threatened to pull in the U.S., which says it supports Israel's right to defend itself but has not directly involved itself in the bombing. Trump has not yet decided on possible American military action against Iran, telling reporters through his top spokesperson that he would make his decision within a fortnight. 'Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiation that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go in the next two weeks,' according to the Trump statement relayed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday. But Iran has already threatened to directly attack U.S. forces should they enter Israel's war campaign, with the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warning on Wednesday that 'Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage.' Tehran's threats aren't idle, as the country has retaliated against Washington in the past, most notably in January 2020, when Trump in his first term ordered an airstrike that killed Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force. The strike, which happened as Soleimani traveled to Baghdad, prompted a swift response from Iran, which days later hammered Al Asad Air Base in Iraq and another U.S. base in Erbil with 13 ballistic missiles. While no Americans were killed in the largest ballistic missile attack ever against U.S. forces abroad, more than 100 were later diagnosed and treated for traumatic brain injuries. Now, with Trump reportedly considering using the GBU-57 – known as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator or so-called 'bunker buster' bomb – to damage Iran's Fordo nuclear enrichment facility, a similar attack from Tehran could soon be at hand. 'If there was to be a U.S. attack like they dropped the big bunker buster, if that happened, then I would assume that you would see an Iranian missile strike aimed at one or multiple U.S. bases,' said Krummrich, a former Special Forces officer in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the face of such a threat, military officials move to pull valuable assets out of the bases deemed most likely to be attacked, he said, pointing to the departure of some aircraft from Al Asad Air Base, as seen in public satellite imagery this week. He guessed that Al Asad Air Base, where many of the roughly 2,500 U.S. troops stationed in Iraq are located, as the most likely target given its close proximity to Iran and the fact that it's been hit in the past. Iran 'would tend to not want to poke the eye' of the United Arab Emirates, where 3,500 U.S. military personnel are located, or Qatar, home of Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military site in the Middle East, Krummrich predicted. About 10,000 American forces are at Al Udeid, the regional headquarters for the U.S. Central Command. In addition, 13,500 U.S. troops are stationed across five bases in Kuwait, 9,000 military and civilian personnel are at the Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, and hundreds more troops placed elsewhere on bases run by Jordan, Syria and Oman. The former head of Centcom, retired Army Gen. Joseph Votel told The Hill that Middle East bases have protective measures built into them to reduce risk, pointing to the aircraft moved from more vulnerable installations, 'But of course, we have a lot of diplomatic facilities, we have a lot of private sector interests there that could be vulnerable as well,' said Votel, now at the Middle East Institute. So, There's a lot of opportunity for Iran here.' U.S. bases and those that house American troops are also at risk of being attacked by Iran-back militias in the region, like in the case when three Army soldiers were killed in a drone attack on a small U.S. outpost in Jordan in January 2024. Following Israel's strikes on Iran on June 13, three drones were shot down near Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq, The Associated Press reported. At least four other U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria have come under fire from Tehran-supported militants since Israel's bombing campaign began, including three installations in northeastern Syria between June 14 and 15, according to local reports. Asked about the attacks, a spokesperson from U.S. Central Command would not confirm or deny whether they took place. 'We are aware of these reports but have nothing operational to provide,' they said, pointing further queries regarding the conflict between Israel and Iran to the White House. U.S. officials this week have insisted that U.S. forces are well prepared to respond to any Iranian-launched attacks, surging more firepower to the Middle East including the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group. The Pentagon also has moved refueling tanker aircraft to the nearby European theater, and placed warships in the Mediterranean Sea to help shoot down Iranian missiles targeting Israel. The Nimitz is set to take over from the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, currently in the Arabian Sea to provide security for U.S. forces near the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, but the two vessels will likely overlap for several days. More covertly, the Air Force earlier this week moved a dozen F-16 fighter jets from a base in Italy to Prince Sultan, Saudi Arabia, according to Aurora Intel, which reviews open source information in the Middle East. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday declined to say whether he had been asked to provide Trump with military options for Tehran, saying during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that he 'wouldn't disclose that in this forum.' But he added that his job is 'to make sure the president has options, is informed of what those options might be, and what the ramifications of those options might be.' Hegseth also on Wednesday told senators that 'maximum protection' measures were in place in the region. Asked by The Hill whether the protections could adequately repel an Iranian attack, a Pentagon spokesperson referred the outlet to Hegseth's post to X on June 16, when the Defense secretary announced the 'deployment of additional capabilities' to the Middle East. 'Protecting U.S. forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region,' he said.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Israel's Missile Defenses Running Short as Iran Fires Hypersonics: Report
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Israel is running low on its supply of Arrow missile interceptors just as Iran unleashes hypersonic missiles in its latest attack, according to The Wall Street Journal. Citing a senior U.S. official, the report said American defense leaders have known for months about the shortfall, raising urgent questions about Israel's ability to defend itself from high-speed, long-range threats. The revelation coincides with Iran's announcement that it fired Fattah-1 hypersonic missiles at Israel on Wednesday. The missiles, which travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can maneuver mid-flight, pose a serious challenge to even advanced missile defense systems. Newsweek has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces and Iran's foreign ministry. Why It Matters Israel's Arrow system is a key part of its multi-layered missile defense, built to intercept long-range ballistic threats. A shortage of interceptors during the sixth day of active conflict with Iran could leave major population centers increasingly vulnerable—especially as Iran now deploys faster, more evasive hypersonic missiles. The introduction of such advanced weapons has reshaped the threat landscape. As both nations trade strikes and diplomacy stalls, military readiness—and the ability to intercept incoming fire—has become a defining factor in the escalating confrontation. Iranian missiles face off israeli interceptive missiles over Beirut, Lebanon. June 14 2025. Iranian missiles face off israeli interceptive missiles over Beirut, Lebanon. June 14 2025. Nael Chahine/AP Photo What to Know The shortage of Arrow interceptors stems from intense missile barrages in recent days combined with limited production capacity. A senior U.S. official told the Wall Street Journal that Washington has been aware of the issue for months and has responded by deploying additional American assets across land, sea, and air in the region. However, the official did not specify how many interceptors remain or when production might replenish Israel's stockpile. Defensive Missile System It [Israel] will expand its target sets to increase the pain and force the Iranian regime to change its behavior. Seth Krummrich, Retired U.S. Army Colonel Jointly developed by Israel and the U.S., the Arrow system defends against long-range ballistic threats with layered coverage beyond Patriot and David's Sling. Arrow 2 targets missiles in the upper atmosphere, while Arrow 3 intercepts them in space. Both use high-speed "hit-to-kill" technology and support Israel's broader missile shield, including Iron Dome. Hypersonic Retaliation Yet hypersonic missiles like Iran's Fattah-1 pose a new and serious challenge. Their extreme speed—over five times the speed of sound—combined with mid-flight maneuverability makes them far harder to track and intercept, even for advanced systems like Arrow. Iran said it had fired Fattah-1 hypersonic missiles at Tel Aviv, saying the strikes "shook the shelters" across the city. Iran state media released video footage of the launches, highlighting Tehran's expanding military capabilities. Alongside the hypersonic missiles, Iran also deployed a "swarm of drones" targeting Israeli territory, further complicating the defense landscape. Video released by Iran's IRGC show the moment Iran launched missiles against Israel Follow — Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) June 18, 2025 Israel retaliated with strikes on weapons factories and a centrifuge plant in Tehran, after warning civilians to evacuate the area. The IDF also intercepted two drones over the Dead Sea. Though casualties were minimal, the use of advanced missiles and drones marks a sharp escalation in the conflict's intensity and sophistication. US Weighs Options Amid the intensifying conflict, President Donald Trump reiterated his support for Israel but signaled growing impatience with Tehran. While the administration has so far avoided direct military engagement, U.S. officials confirmed that the USS Nimitz carrier strike group has been deployed to the region, and Trump convened his National Security Council to discuss possible options. No decision on intervention has been announced, but officials say military involvement remains under consideration. The developments came as Iran claimed to have struck what it described as a Mossad intelligence facility inside Israel, escalating tensions further. Rescue team work at the site where a missile launched from Iran struck Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, June 16, 2025. Rescue team work at the site where a missile launched from Iran struck Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, June 16, 2025. Baz Ratner/AP Photo What People Are Saying Seth Krummrich, Retired U.S. Army Colonel and Vice President at Global Guardian told Newsweek: "Initially, Israel focused primarily on military and nuclear targets. If Israel does not achieve the effects it wants, it will expand its target sets to increase the pain and force the Iranian regime to change its behavior. I expect to see expanded targeting of governmental facilities and oil and gas infrastructure to continue to increase the pain level to an intolerable level that Iran has to negotiate. Iran will continue to launch ballistic missile strikes against any Israeli targets with the goal of wearing down Israel's will and reducing Israel's interceptor stockpile to do more damage." What Happens Next As missile technology evolves and tensions rise, Israel's ability to restore interceptor supplies may shape not only the conflict's trajectory but the broader stability of the region. Whether the U.S. remains on the sidelines or steps in more directly could depend on how long Israel can hold the line.
Al Jazeera
28-04-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Europe leads global defence spending rise, awakening to security deficit
Europe led a record international rise in defence spending last year, according to a report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). European expenses rose in real terms by 17 percent to $693m, spearheading a global rise of 9.4 percent to $2.7 trillion, marking the highest level of defence spending since the fall of communism in Europe. Russia's war in Ukraine was the principal driver of the new trend, SIPRI said on Monday. 'The rapid spending increases among European NATO members were driven mainly by the ongoing Russian threat and concerns about possible US disengagement within the alliance,' said Jade Guiberteau Ricard, a researcher with SIPRI. The protagonists in that war still bore the brunt of its expense. Russia saw the biggest annual rise of any single country at 38 percent, as it suffered devastating material losses in its war in Ukraine. It spent $149bn, more than 7 percent of its economic output. Ukraine spent its entire tax income of $64.7bn on its defence, and was the country devoting the biggest proportion of its economy – 34 percent – to the military. But apparent US reluctance to continue to fund Ukraine's defence means more of the burden may fall on Europe. That might not be as onerous as it sounds. The size of the European Union economy meant that it needed to spend only 0.12 percent more of its gross domestic product (GDP) to replace US military support for Ukraine, the think tank Bruegel estimated last February. Most of Europe's defence spending increase, experts told Al Jazeera, addressed the need to rebuild defunct European militaries. 'The increase was expected, though it was still somewhat shocking to see it unfold,' retired US colonel Seth Krummrich said, as it reflected the end of US supremacy on the global stage. Krummrich, who is now vice president of Global Guardian, a security consultant, believed this was the start of a new trend. 'I do believe we will see further increases in the years ahead. Europe recognises the need to stand on its own and not rely as heavily on the United States,' he said. 'That's not to say the US will not support Europe, but the 'guaranteed certainty' of US support is no longer felt.' The EU last month relaxed deficit rules, allowing national budgets to spend an additional 650 billion euros ($740bn) on defence off the books. Greece became the first member to announce a multiyear rearmament under the new rules on April 3. Within Europe, Germany rose most steeply of all (by 28 percent), as an extraordinary 100-billion-euro ($113.5bn) fund announced in 2022 finally swung into action. However, every EU member state except Malta raised its defence budget, reflecting an increasingly widespread Russian threat perception. The relaxed EU deficit rules, known as Rearm Europe, along with a 150-billion-euro ($170bn) fund to boost EU defence products and a German parliament decision last month to devote up to 1 trillion euros ($1.14 trillion) to infrastructure and defence all advocated in favour of what Krummrich predicted. Experts cautioned that expenditure would take a long time to translate into force projection. 'Major military capability takes years to develop,' said Lukas Milevski, a lecturer in international studies at Leiden University. 'It takes time to train people, to buy the stuff, to build the stuff, to deliver the stuff,' he told Al Jazeera. Germany, for example, promised Lithuania a brigade in 2022. Its barracks are built in southwest Lithuania, but the brigade is not expected to be manned, trained, equipped and operational until the end of 2027. Milevski also cautioned that the money would have to be sustained over many years. 'By the time you actually need to pay for the stuff, all those exemptions that came with Rearm Europe have expired, and the year-by-year continuation doesn't provide the stability that defence policy needs,' he said. Another concern is what the money is spent on. The staggering US defence budget of $997bn, for example, is often described as bloated with pork-barrel procurements rather than what a modern military needs. Europe suffers from a similar problem of redundancy, with different states competing to have their tank or rocket launch system adopted as the EU standard and funded to great heights. Krummrich believed the EU now enjoys a 'significant opportunity' to avoid squabbling about which older systems to preserve, and 'leap forward technologically through military innovation and investment'. It was enough, he said, to observe how 'the dirt laboratory of Ukraine has revealed a new evolution in warfare, especially regarding drones and unmanned vehicles'. Others expressed concern about Europe's go-it-alone approach. 'It's capabilities that matter, and how those capabilities are built and controlled,' said Hugo Bromley, an economy and geopolitical expert at Cambridge University's Centre for Geopolitics. The US and Europe should not be decoupling, but working together to provide specific needs in both Europe and the Asia Pacific, Bromley told Al Jazeera. 'The scarce assets America needs, particularly in an Indo-Pacific focus, are the very high-end [air]lift, missiles – capabilities that the current focus of European expenditure is not designed to create … because these are the capabilities that nation states wish most to keep to themselves,' he said. 'So we need to have an honest conversation about which countries are prepared to work together on these issues … and if you look at where our natural partners are to develop those high end capabilities, it is East Asia, Germany, to a lesser extent France and Britain, and what I think of as Commonwealth – so Australia, Canada.' This internationalist approach is currently out of favour on the continent, where the concept of strategic autonomy now drives renewed European defence resolve. Finally, there is concern that money, even if effectively spent over sufficient time to deliver force, is going to lead to tragedy in the Ukrainian theatre, which is largely depleted of its professional militaries. 'The operational map remains largely stagnant,' said Krummrich. 'Gone are the highly trained troops and great campaign plans. This is now a conscript war with negligible front-line movement,' he said, calling it a 'meat grinder'. 'In my opinion, high spending will not turn the war decisively for either side; it will only result in further death.'
