Are Iranian threats to attack the U.S.-U.K. air base at Diego Garcia in possible retaliation for a U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear program causing concern at the Pentagon? NBC News reported yesterday, citing an unnamed U.S. official “and another person familiar with the matter,” that a THAAD anti-missile battery has been ordered to the Middle East from Asia. While it’s not clear whether Iran can actually attack it or not, a lengthy article on The War Zone site on U.S. Air Force foot-dragging on buying hardened aircraft shelters for its overseas bases actually highlights how naked Diego Garcia is to attack by anyone who has the weapons to reach it. There are no known air defenses there—though the THAAD system reported by NBC News could be headed there—and the base would have to depend on U.S. Navy ships within close enough proximity. There are four shelters for the B-2s on one side of the ramp, but they can only protect the bombers from the weather.
TWZ notes that Iran has in recent years notably commissioned multiple sea base-like vessels that can be used to launch potentially large numbers of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as long-range kamikaze drones, all from hundreds of miles away. The Iranians have also demonstrated missile and drone capabilities, including launchers in standard shipping containers, which could be employed from commercial cargo and other civilian ships. Iran already has a history of using converted cargo vessels as motherships for intelligence gathering and covert attacks.
Sputnik published a map showing the locations of some 60 U.S. bases in Southwest Asia. These include Naval Support Activity Bahrain (home of U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters), Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar (where U.S. Central Command’s forward headquarters are located), as well as other naval, air and ground facilities in the Gulf, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Türkiye. “In the event of war, all would be in range of Iran’s missiles and drones,” Sputnik says.
