Reference News Network, June 30 report - According to the French magazine "L'Express" website on June 28, the United States had already invested in building a military base near the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia before the recent attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities. According to The New York Times, the base first appeared in satellite images in early 2022. The newspaper commented: "Its initial presence foreshadowed a long-standing military planners' anticipation: a prolonged military conflict with Iran was entirely possible."
By December 2023, the base had only a few tents, some empty containers, isolated barbed wire, and partially developed areas and abandoned shelters left over from its opening two years earlier. However, The New York Times pointed out that the U.S. "Jenkins Logistics Base," located along the Red Sea coast, 30 kilometers from the important Saudi port of Yanbu, has been continuously expanding since last year, highlighting the possibility of a prolonged conflict with Iran.
The core objective of the base is to create a supply center far away from Iran. Compared to most of the U.S. bases in the Middle East, the "Jenkins Logistics Base" is farther from Iran, making it less vulnerable to attacks. Earlier this week, Iran carried out retaliatory bombing against a U.S. base located in Qatar.
According to The New York Times, the upgrade of this logistics base includes expanding ammunition storage and troop barracks facilities and enhancing the security level of the base. Unlike the sparse tents seen in satellite images from early 2024, the images taken last week showed that the one-kilometer-wide base now has dozens of buildings and tents, vehicles, asphalt roads, a modern arms depot, and visible signs of construction. Government documents show that by early 2024, the construction cost of the base had exceeded $3 million.
Iran recently bombed a U.S. base near Doha, Qatar, highlighting the need for supplies for multiple U.S. bases in the region. These bases include small outposts in Syria and Iraq, as well as large bases housing aircraft and warships. As early as 2021, U.S. Department of Defense officials expressed interest in building a foothold along the Red Sea coast to support the supply lines of these bases.
Brian Carter, head of Middle East affairs at the American Enterprise Institute, told The New York Times: "The initial goal was to try to deploy part of the U.S. military infrastructure outside the range of Iranian missiles and drones." However, these infrastructures could also be used to support military operations against targets other than Iran, such as strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. (Translated by Pan Geping)
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