Published : 09 Sep 2026, 01:14 AM
Updated : 16 Sep 2026, 11:48 AM
US military and intelligence officials are quietly considering a smaller American footprint in West Asia if the Trump administration succeeds in ending its conflict with Iran, CNN reports.
Such a shift would mark another attempt to redefine the US role in a region that Washington has repeatedly tried to leave after more than two decades of military intervention.
The United States expanded its network of bases and intelligence facilities dramatically after the Sept 11, 2001 attacks, supporting wars and counterterrorism operations across Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Libya and elsewhere.
But the latest conflict with Iran has exposed vulnerabilities in that infrastructure, with American installations repeatedly targeted and 18 US service members killed, according to the report.
The informal discussions come as officials try to anticipate President Donald Trump’s approach to a postwar West Asia.
CNN said Trump has articulated no clear strategy for the region after the conflict and has long campaigned on reducing US military commitments overseas.
The US still has about 50,000 troops in the region, backed by two aircraft carriers and more than a dozen guided-missile destroyers.
CIA officers who were withdrawn during the most intense fighting earlier this year are now returning, it added.
At the same time, the Pentagon is examining ways to better protect troops and facilities that remain.
It includes moving some installations underground to shield them from missile and drone attacks, according to CNN.
The idea has been discussed for years but gained urgency after Iran demonstrated how exposed American bases could be.
“The vulnerabilities were always known, but the US never acted on it with urgency,” CNN quoted a US official as saying.
The military has developed several options for changing its regional force structure as early as next year, it added.
But officials do not expect to abandon key locations needed to conduct air operations while fighting continues.
CNN reported that senior Pentagon officials have privately supported reducing troop numbers in several Gulf states and shifting more responsibility to regional partners.
There is, however, no formal force-posture review under way.
The debate echoes repeated American attempts to pivot away from West Asia.
Before Sept 11, the US had about 27,000 active-duty troops across the region. That figure surged to roughly 250,000 during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and remained above 100,000 between 2007 and 2011.
Former President Barack Obama later sought to draw down forces, including withdrawing combat troops from Iraq in 2011.
The rise of ISIS forced the US back into the country. Even after 2011, American troop numbers across the region generally remained between 30,000 and 60,000.
The latest conflict has renewed questions about whether such a large permanent presence remains necessary.
Iranian strikes have hit installations in Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, with significant damage reported.
A CIA facility in Riyadh was effectively destroyed, according to a US official and a former intelligence officer.
Some officials are considering whether sensitive military and intelligence missions could instead be handled from the United States, with personnel and equipment deployed only when needed.
Damaged facilities may also not be rebuilt, partly because of the cost.
Pentagon comptroller Jules “Jay” Hurst III said in April that the cost of repairing damaged overseas facilities remained unclear and would depend on decisions about the future US posture in West Asia.
The CIA and military have undergone similar cycles before.
After Sept 11, the agency dramatically expanded its paramilitary capabilities and regional presence.
Later, both Republican and Democratic administrations sought to shift resources towards Asia and focus increasingly on China.
Yet crises repeatedly drew Washington back.
CNN has reported that senior US military leaders have warned Trump that further combat operations against Iran may not achieve his objectives.
The administration is instead pursuing greater economic pressure, though there is no clear timeline for whether that strategy will force Tehran to capitulate.
The Pentagon expects to retain some major permanent bases, but rebuilding them could depend on host countries sharing costs that may run into billions of dollars.
For now, US forces remain vulnerable to further Iranian attacks. The Navy’s top officer said personnel would not return to Bahrain, home of the 5th Fleet, “anytime soon”.
“We’re not getting back in there anytime soon,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm Daryl Caudle said. “I just want to be completely honest with that.”
