U.S. Basing Posture in the Wake of Epic Fury

In retaliation for Operation Epic Fury, Iranian forces launched thousands of missiles and drones at Gulf countries hosting U.S. military bases. These devastating attacks caused servicemember fatalities and injuries, destroyed aircraft, and took strategic radars offline, revealing the vulnerabilities of the broader U.S. military posture in the Middle East. Two years ago, JINSA Hertog Distinguished Fellow and former Commander of the United States Central Command General Frank McKenzie, Jr., USMC (ret.) sounded the alarm about the vulnerabilities of current U.S. basing posture in his report U.S. Bases in the Middle East: Overcoming the Tyranny of Geography where he notably warned that "the United States will not be able to maintain these bases in a full-throated conflict, because they will be rendered unusable by sustained Iranian attack." While urging the United States to re-examine its basing posture, he also emphasized the critical need for U.S. basing in Israel. JINSA hosted a webinar with General (ret.) McKenzie to discuss U.S. basing posture in the Middle East and its status in the aftermath of the Iran War. JINSA's Fellow for American Strategy Jonathan Ruhe moderated the discussion.