Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, both at right, tour the new combined command post for air defense at Ras Al Bar Camp, Bahrain, on Dec. 1, 2025. The facility is staffed by Bahraini and U.S. forces. (Lindsay Lair/U.S. Navy)
U.S. Central Command this week opened a new combined air defense post with Bahraini forces, highlighting its relationship with a longtime ally and shoring up regional security amid ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel.
CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper attended the ribbon cutting on Monday along with Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the prime minister and deputy supreme commander of the Bahraini armed forces.
Bahrain hosts the largest U.S. Navy base in the region and serves as headquarters for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the 5th Fleet.
The new combined air defense facility will be hosted at Ras Al Bar camp, CENTCOM said in a statement Monday, adding that it will be staffed by forces from the U.S. and Bahrain and serve as a “hub for integrated air defense planning, coordination and operations.”
Months of hostility between Israel and Iran have put Middle Eastern countries on high alert and underscored the importance of protecting U.S. troops in the region.
Bahrain briefly came under threat of fire over the summer during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, with air raid sirens sounding throughout the island and officials urging residents to seek shelter.
Although Bahrain was not hit during the conflict, Iran launched a dozen missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar that day, most of which were shot down by air defenses.
No U.S. personnel stationed in the country were injured, but the Pentagon later confirmed that one of the missiles had struck a geodesic dome housing secure communications.
Qatar came under further attack this fall when Israel fired on Hamas officials in Doha, the capital, with little to no warning to Qatari or U.S. officials.
Following the attack, Washington moved quickly to shore up relations with the nation, which hosts 10,000 U.S. troops and the largest American base in the Middle East.
President Donald Trump shortly afterward signed an executive order vowing to use all measures to defend Qatar, and last month Cooper attended the opening of another bilateral combined air defense post in Qatar.
The opening of the air defense post came as the State Department approved the potential sale of $455 million worth of F-16 sustainment equipment to Bahrain.
A statement from the agency called Bahrain an “important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.”
