Iranian Drones “blew the hell” Naval Support Activity Bahrain

Sep 20, 2026 03:32 PM EDT, Sun

The details surrounding Iran’s attack on a U.S. naval base six months ago are just now coming into focus, sparking a series of difficult new questions.

By Steve Benen

Sept. 14, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT

A couple of weeks ago, during a town hall discussion with the Navy’s highest-ranking officer, a sailor asked about possibly retrieving some personal materials from the U.S. base in Bahrain, which suffered an Iranian attack shortly after the war began.

“We’re not getting back in there anytime soon,” said Adm. Daryl Caudle, chief of naval operations. “I just want to be completely honest with that.”

As for why, exactly, service members are not getting back in there anytime soon, there’s a clear reason. The New Republic reported:

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao reportedly admitted that the Iranian military “blew the hell” out of the U.S. naval base in Bahrain — a shocking claim that contradicts the Trump administration’s narrative of total destruction of Iran’s attack capabilities.

While the damage to the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters at Naval Support Activity Bahrain in a February 28 drone attack has been well documented, Cao’s Thursday comment to a reporter at the conservative outlet The Epoch Times is perhaps the most vivid, sober analysis of the situation from an individual of his ranking.

Faux News’ Jennifer Griffin characterized characterized Cao’s candid comments as a “pretty stunning admission,” which went far beyond what other senior U.S. officials had been willing to previously admit on the record.

The public and political debate surrounding the war with Iran has been multifaceted since February, but I think Iran’s successful attack on the U.S. naval base in Bahrain hasn’t received nearly enough attention.

In a recent analysis piece for The Military Times, John Cordle, a decorated retired Navy captain who led two ships during his 30-year military career, explained, “Extensive damage to one of our most significant forward bases in the Middle East is likely to have profound tactical and strategic repercussions that are only now coming into focus.”

Cordle, whose piece was published before Cao’s Epoch Times interview, went on to write that it was previously “unimaginable” to think a regional player like Iran could significantly degrade a key U.S. military hub that “provides the physical infrastructure that keeps American military power continuously available in a strategically vital region.” He added:

The idea that the U.S. could not prevent and defend against a predictable attack on a Fleet Headquarters — and our sailors stationed there — is quite startling. It likely is just as alarming to our allies.

The depth of NSA Bahrain ’s impact became clear as the stories of scarcities of parts, food, mail and supplies to the aircraft carrier [USS Abraham Lincoln]?https://www.airpac.navy.mil/Organization/USS-Abraham-Lincoln-CVN-72/) hit the news. Before long, pieces of the puzzle began falling into place as to the connection between ship supplies and the lack of a familiar resupply source.

Cao’s unexpected candor last week changed the nature of the conversation and brought fresh questions to the fore about what happened, why it happened, what could’ve been done to prevent it from happening and who bears responsibility for having left the base exposed and inadequately protected.

Given that Cao is Donald Trump’s choice to serve as a Senate-confirmed Navy secretary, his upcoming hearings seem like a good opportunity to get some answers.

Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past.”

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