The former chief security officer of US Central Command (CENTCOM) warned on Thursday that US military bases in the Middle East could be overwhelmed by Iranian missile attacks.
Retired General Kenneth Frank McKenzie is currently a Hertog Senior Fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security Studies (JINSA) and This week's report The report argued that Iran's developing weapons capabilities make U.S. military bases in the Arabian Gulf vulnerable to Iranian attack.
“Our basing strategy is outdated and inadequate to address the region's central threat: Iran,” McKenzie said. “Creating a flexible Western basing network for U.S. air assets would complicate Iran's ability to target U.S. forces and raise the costs of aggression.”
U.S. Central Command commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on U.S. Central Command and U.S. Africa Command, Tuesday, March 15, 2022, in Dirksenville. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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In a conference call with reporters this week, McKenzie explained that some of the U.S.'s major bases in countries such as Qatar, the UAE and Bahrain are located close to Iran and once served as a deterrent to malign forces, but are now weak links in the U.S. military posture in the region.
He noted that Iran has extensive short-range missile capabilities but lacks medium- to long-range capabilities, and argued that the location of bases needs to be reconsidered as its technology and missile development is modernizing.
“They've spent a lot of money and resources building up very sophisticated ballistic missile capabilities, including theater ballistic missiles, land attack cruise missiles and drones,” McKenzie said. “These three capabilities are relatively new large-scale capabilities in the region and pose new threats.”
A replica of an Iranian ballistic missile is displayed outdoors at the Holy Defense Museum, which commemorates the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, in Tehran, Iran, on February 7, 2024. (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)
“Even if we have a high-performance system like Patriot or other existing systems, they can put more weapons into the fight than we can defend against,” he added.
The retired general, who will serve as commander of Central Command for three years from March 2019 to April 2022 before retiring from the Marine Corps after 42 years of service, argued that the US needs to seriously work with regional allies such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman and Egypt to relocate bases further away from Iran.
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During the annual military parade, a military truck carrying a missile passes in front of a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Atta Kennare/AFP/Getty Images)
He said the base should be located “as far west as possible.” [the U.S.] “It can station aircraft, maintenance capabilities, refueling capabilities and weapons” that are beyond Iran's reach.
When pressed by Fox News Digital about whether Middle Eastern countries would be willing to allow the base to be relocated, McKenzie said the proposal had already been discussed with partners in the region.
Iran unveiled its first hypersonic ballistic missile, “Fattah (Conqueror),” at an event attended by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (second from left) and other government officials, on June 6, 2023, in Tehran, Iran. (Photo by Sepah News/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“This is something that we discussed when I was commander of Central Command at a mid-to-mid level, and there is an interest,” he said. “Remember, if you take the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as an example, upgrading bases in western Saudi Arabia benefits Saudi Arabia more than any other country.”
“These will be dual-use bases,” McKenzie explained, “and we will be there under certain conditions to support the defense of Saudi Arabia, and it will actually enhance their ability to defend themselves.”
Protesters and members of the Iranian paramilitary Basij Forces march past a fourth-generation Khorramshahr “Khyber” ballistic missile displayed in solidarity with the Palestinian people during an anti-Israel rally in the Iranian capital Tehran, November 24, 2023. (Photo: HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
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The former Central Command commander also noted that the direct security threat posed by Iran comes not only from Tehran, but also from its use of terrorist groups to fight a proxy war in the Middle East.
“Deterrence can only be achieved by demonstrating the will and ability to fight and win if necessary,” McKenzie argued in the report. “Deterrence must be continuous. In the Middle East, unless it is systematically renewed, deterrence may have a very short half-life.”
