Attacks on US Bases Make Forces Work in Hotels, Offices

Iran’s ongoing missile and drone attacks have forced large numbers of US troops to leave their primary bases across the Middle East and relocate to temporary sites such as hotels and office buildings, according to American officials and military personnel.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said US forces have carried out strikes on more than 7,000 targets tied to Iran and its military network. He added that the scale of daily strike operations continues to increase. Despite the offensive campaign, the movement of American personnel across the region—and even into parts of Europe—has made military operations more difficult and prompted questions about the Trump administration’s preparation and risk analysis before the fighting began, according to reporting by the New York Times.

Iran and groups aligned with it have struck at least 13 facilities used by the United States. Officials say many of those sites have been damaged so severely they are nearly impossible to occupy. Some of the attacks have killed US service members and caused significant damage to infrastructure.

Bases affected include Port Shuaiba, Ali Al Salem, and Camp Buehring in Kuwait; Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar; the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain; and Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

US Central Command is now establishing what one official described as alternative operating locations to maintain missions in the region. However, military specialists say the shift has reduced some capabilities because certain systems and equipment are difficult to move and set up at improvised sites.

Current and former officials also said several precautionary steps were not taken before the conflict escalated. These included reducing staff at US embassies, reinforcing key facilities, and issuing earlier travel warnings. Without those measures in place, American forces and infrastructure were left more vulnerable once Iran launched its response.

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