U.S. defense officials are expressing growing concern about the vulnerability of U.S. military bases around the world, as well as inside the U.S., as available UAV technology changes established defense strategies. Concerns are growing following a series of recent attacks and threats against ground targets, including the destruction of key Middle East bases by Iran, plans to attack key bases in Europe, including American bombers at a British air base, and a Russian campaign that has hit military installations in Europe, two government officials said. While the Pentagon is known for making exaggerated threats to secure additional funding, officials stressed that the concerns are real and not imagined. Despite the US military's huge budget, they say the United States is now under urgent pressure to strengthen its fortifications, protect expensive equipment and withdraw personnel from certain locations. "Now the whole world knows what the Minister of Defense should have known," said one of the senior officials. Foreign adversaries have noticed Iran's ability to penetrate American air defenses with missiles and UAVs. Officials have emphasized Tehran's ability to hit or destroy bases that have been key to projecting American power and warfare in the Middle East for decades. On February 28, an Iranian missile and drone attack destroyed naval facilities in Manama, Bahrain, a critical logistics hub in the region. The Joint Air Operations Center at Al Udeed Air Base in Qatar was badly damaged by Iranian missiles early in the war, rendering it inoperable. Both sites have recently been re-attacked, raising questions about whether they will ever recover.

U.S. defense officials are expressing growing concern about the vulnerability of U.S. military bases around the world, as well as inside the U.S., as available UAV technology changes established defense strategies. Concerns are growing following a series of recent attacks and threats against ground targets, including the destruction of key Middle East bases by Iran, plans to attack key bases in Europe, including American bombers at a British air base, and a Russian campaign that has hit military installations in Europe, two government officials said. While the Pentagon is known for making exaggerated threats to secure additional funding, officials stressed that the concerns are real and not imagined. Despite the US military's huge budget, they say the United States is now under urgent pressure to strengthen its fortifications, protect expensive equipment and withdraw personnel from certain locations. "Now the whole world knows what the Minister of Defense should have known," said one of the senior officials. Foreign adversaries have noticed Iran's ability to penetrate American air defenses with missiles and UAVs. Officials have emphasized Tehran's ability to hit or destroy bases that have been key to projecting American power and warfare in the Middle East for decades. On February 28, an Iranian missile and drone attack destroyed naval facilities in Manama, Bahrain, a critical logistics hub in the region. The Joint Air Operations Center at Al Udeed Air Base in Qatar was badly damaged by Iranian missiles early in the war, rendering it inoperable. Both sites have recently been re-attacked, raising questions about whether they will ever recover.