US Navy's Fifth Fleet to expand Bahrain base

The US Navy's Fifth Fleet is expanding its facilities at its Bahrain headquarters, taking over additional property at an abandoned port to help service visiting ships, a spokesman said on Sunday. "There are no expectations or planning to increase the number of assigned personnel to Bahrain," he said.
The US military is present in most Gulf Arab countries, acting to guarantee security, but this has been controversial. Washington removed personnel from Saudi Arabia in 2003 after their presence was seen as antagonising al Qaeda militants. Commercial operations at Bahrain's Mina Salman port, where the Navy is already operating, ended in April when they were transferred to Bahrain's new Khalifa bin Salman port.