MILITARY and naval bases have served as the backbone of great power strategy for centuries. They allow rapid response to crises, enable intelligence gathering, sustain long distance logistics and project influence far beyond a nation’s borders. In volatile regions like the Persian Gulf, they act as both shields and deterrents, safeguarding critical trade routes, energy supplies and allied interests. Yet, as history repeatedly shows, bases are double-edged swords, while promising security, they can also become lightning rods for conflict, entangling host nations in larger rivalries and complicating diplomacy. As per great naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan, a navy without overseas bases is like a bird unable to fly far from its perch. Out of 1250 military bases, the US dominates global foreign military presence, operating roughly 750 to 850 bases across 80 countries. While others lag far behind, the UK has 145 bases, Russia 10, France 3 and China just one, the US global footprint remains unmatched. To counter Iran and secure vital oil flows, thousands of American service members live and work in the Gulf countries. From 10,000 personnel at Qatar’s massive Al Udeid Air Base to the Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, US forces rely heavily on host nations like Kuwait, the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

For decades, US troops........

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