A family and service members walk outdoors at the U.S. Navy base in Manama, Bahrain, May 31, 2023. (Jensen Guillory/U.S. Army)
MANAMA, 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, as expectations mount of conflict between Israel and Iran.
The decision to depart is voluntary for spouses, children and other dependents in Bahrain, an island kingdom located less than 100 miles across the Persian Gulf from Iran. The country hosts the U.S. 5th Fleet.
Flight tickets will be issued through military travel agencies and officials have discouraged families from booking commercially out of Bahrain. Reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses isn’t guaranteed, according to a fact sheet disseminated by the U.S. military.
Officials expect a quick turnaround on issuing tickets, though processing time could depend on the volume of requests received. It remained unclear Thursday just how many people planned to take the offer.
Naval Support Activity Bahrain in Manama, Bahrain, shown here on April 14, 2022, is the headquarters of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, the U.S. 5th Fleet, and Combined Maritime Forces. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
Those who do leave will receive a per diem stipend for expenses while the voluntary departure rules remain in place. The pay drops from 100% of authorized rates to 60% after 30 days for dependents over 12; children younger than that receive 50% of the authorized locality rate for the first month, and 30% afterward, up to 180 days.
Students at Department of Defense Education Activity school in Bahrain may choose to disenroll if they take the voluntary departure due to its length, DODEA spokeswoman Jessica Tackaberry said Thursday.
Families are expected to enroll their children in a school near their designated safe haven. However, high school students enrolled in DODEA’s Expended Eligibility Pilot Program may take online courses if their new schools do not offer the classes needed to stay on track for graduation.
A departure checklist notes that families can ship up to 350 pounds of unaccompanied baggage per dependent 12 years and older or 175 pounds for those under 12, with a total not exceeding 1,000 pounds.
Dependents can take up to two household pets — defined as cats and dogs — if they currently own them at their permanent duty stations.
Troops belonging to multiple organizations are stationed at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, including U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, the U.S. 5th Fleet, and several regional partnerships such as the Combined Maritime Forces. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
For households with two active duty parents or a single parent, one guardian is authorized to escort children to the departure location and must have a plan in place for the dependent at their safe haven location before leaving.
Mission essential personnel aren’t authorized to travel with their dependents to the safe haven location unless they are unable to travel alone.
Authorized locations include all states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands and U.S. territories.
An alert from the Joint Maritime Information Center in Bahrain warned Wednesday that any hostilities between Israel and Iran could spill over into the broader region.
Alerts went out on Wednesday to service members as reports came in of the State Department also drawing down the presence of nonessential staffers throughout the region.
In addition to ordering the departure of personnel in Iraq, the State Department on Thursday restricted government employees and their families in Israel from traveling outside the greater Tel Aviv area.
The department added that mortar, rocket and missile fire, as well as drone attacks, often take place without any warning. Employees and their families should know the location of the nearest shelter, the advisory said.
The U.S. for months has been in engaged in stalled talks with Iran over the future of its nuclear program while also trying to negotiate a peace deal between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hamas in Gaza.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been under public pressure over exemptions that allow ultra-Orthodox citizens to avoid registering for military service. The 20-month war in Gaza has required repeated call-ups of Israeli reservists.
Netanyahu survived an attempt to dissolve parliament Thursday morning with support from ultra-Orthodox coalition partners.
