Shannon Renfroe

Shannon is a reporter and photographer for Stars and Stripes based in Manama, Bahrain, where she writes about military operations and current events. She has 23 years of experience as a Navy communications professional.

@ShannonStripes

renfroe.shannon@stripes.com

A U.S. sailor searches for a target Aug. 2, 2025, during an exercise on the fantail of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Nimitz has since pulled into Bahrain for a port call.

Bahrain welcomes USS Nimitz as carrier’s long career winds down

Nearly half a century after its first deployment, the U.S. Navy’s oldest active aircraft carrier pulled into Bahrain, marking a rare visit that could be among its last.

A gray-hulled military ship sails through a shipyard with multi-story buildings in the background.

USS Pierre completes sea trials, closing a chapter for the Navy’s Independence-class LCS

U.S. Naval Support Activity Bahrain in Manama, Bahrain.

US bases in Middle East in lockdown as ayatollah aide urges strike on Navy fleet in Bahrain

A naval destroyer flying a U.S. flag sails in open ocean with other ships and the horizon in the background.

Base security tightens, family flights continue out of Bahrain following Israeli strikes on Iran

A boy and a woman walk together in Bahrain with service members in the background.

Breaking down the US military’s departure plan for families in Bahrain

Military family members in the Middle East are now authorized to fly anywhere in the United States at government expense for up to six months under guidance released by base officials in Bahrain.

A walk along the mesquite-lined Karzakkan forest trail. This area is one of Bahrain’s few accessible green corridors and offers natural shade and quiet.

Karzakkan: Mesquite forest and grilled fish on Bahrain’s west coast

Karzakkan Forest isn’t pristine. The coast isn’t curated. But together, they offer something increasingly rare — authenticity.

The burrata pizza at Nuovo Pizzeria in Manama, Bahrain, is a showstopper. It features a marinara base with fior di latte, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, cherry tomatoes and fresh arugula, finished with a whole burrata and a drizzle of pistachio cream.

Grazie, Nuovo: Longing for Neapolitan-style pizza no longer a pie-in-the-sky notion in Bahrain

Nuovo Pizzeria — literally “new pizzeria” — is precisely that: a fresh face in Bahrain, and also one that is serious about honoring the art of Neapolitan pizza.

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James Honea addresses sailors and Marines on April 16, 2025, during an all-hands call in Manama, Bahrain. He spoke about recruiting, military construction and veterans affairs, and answered audience questions.

Navy’s top enlisted leader visits Bahrain, stresses recruiting successes to fill 20,000-sailor gap

Navy recruiting is making progress toward easing a long-standing manning shortage at sea, the service’s top enlisted leader told sailors in Bahrain on Wednesday.

Sailors aboard the littoral combat ship USS Oakland stand in formation on the flight deck during a change of command ceremony in October 2024. The Navy issued new guidance Feb. 25, 2025, to comply with a federal mandate recognizing only two biological sexes, male and female, and ending gender identity efforts.

Male and female made sole choices in personal spaces as Navy ends diverse gender designations

The Navy will review policies for “intimate spaces” at its facilities, aboard ships and elsewhere to make sure that they are designated by sex rather than gender. Intimate spaces include bathrooms and single sailors’ living quarters.

Sailors with the Navy’s Task Force 59 launch a drone boat from a pier at Naval Support Activity Bahrain in 2022. The recent U.S.-led IMX 25 exercise in the Middle East focused on advancing artificial intelligence and unmanned systems as the Navy and its regional partners adapt to evolving threats in the region.

Drones and AI take center stage in Navy-led Middle East exercise

The emphasis on artificial intelligence and drone capabilities represents a change at this year’s International Maritime Exercise, which normally focuses on mines and explosive ordnance disposal, among other training.

Coast Guardsmen pull their boat next to a stateless vessel in the Arabian Sea.

US Coast Guard ship seizes over 5,000 pounds of hashish in Arabian Sea bust

A U.S. Coast Guard fast-response cutter seized nearly 5,300 pounds of hashish from a vessel in the Arabian Sea recently in the latest major drug bust for Combined Task Force 150, the Navy said Tuesday.

Passion Art Cafe in Budaiya, Bahrain, encourages patrons' creativity by offering instruction in such activities as pottery in an art studio upstairs from the cafe.

Bahrain cafe and art studio inspires creativity, community

The whimsically decorated, comfortable Passion Art Cafe and Studio is a unique, creative oasis in Bahrain where customers can enjoy a snack, make or paint pottery and even find words of affirmation.

Pastries at Layers Artisan Croissanterie in Manama, Bahrain, include, clockwise from top right, the Caprese Danish with fresh pesto and tomatoes, pain Suisse with roast beef and cheese, and the eggplant Parmesan Danish. Each of the pastries at Layers is made daily.

Ooh la Layers: Croissant shop in Bahrain channels France with alluring pastry assortment

Each item at Layers Artisan Croissanterie showcased the bakery’s commitment to quality and craftsmanship. The undeniable winner was the namesake croissant, a sculpture of buttery, flaky layers that shattered with every bite.

U.S. and Emirati forces survey the Arabian Fox Mast-13 drone boat Oct. 14, 2024, during exercise Iron Defender in the United Arab Emirates. Unmanned vessels were a focus of the 10-day bilateral exercise, which ended Thursday.

US Navy and UAE wrap up drone-focused drills in Persian Gulf

U.S. Navy and United Arab Emirates drone operations wrapped up Thursday after a 10-day exercise in the Persian Gulf, where Iran was hosting its own maritime showcase on the opposite side of the strategic waterway.

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