Naval Support Activity Bahrain

History

The first presence of the British Royal Navy in the Persian Gulf came about from the need to control pirates raiding British shipping east of Suez, especially the East India Company routes to India, when it appointed the first Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf. In the early 1820s the rulers of Bahrain, Salman and Abdullah Al Khalifa, signed an agreement to try to limit piracy in the area. This was strengthened in 1835 through an agreement signed specifically with the Royal Navy, which addressed the need to stop pirates operating in the area and limit the slave trade. In 1902 oil was discovered in the area. Commercial extraction began in 1925 when Frank Holmes was given a license, with oil exports occurring by 1932.

HMS ''Juffair''

Main article: HMS Juffair

After the death of Sheikh Isa in 1932, having handed control of the state in 1921 under British diplomatic pressure to his son Hamad, his advisor Charles Belgrave with whom he had modernized the state systems and key infrastructure, suggested that they should come to an agreement with the British to open a permanent Royal Navy base within the state. opened on 13 April 1935, as part of the port at Mina Salman. It was bombed by the Italian Air Force during World War II, as part of an Axis Forces effort to cut off one of the three Allied Forces sources of oil in the Persian Gulf.

US Navy establishment

As a result of the raid, and the United States' entry into World War II beginning December 1941, the Royal Navy extended an invitation to the US Navy, allowing the USN to deploy a small detachment. Post-WW2, the posting was recognized as the U.S. Middle East Force from 1948, a small shore facility that provided logistical and communications support to Marine expeditionary vessels.

In 1971, with Bahrain gaining independence from the British Empire, the permanent Royal Navy presence in Bahrain officially ended. With the agreement of the Emir, the USN immediately took on the entire 10 acre site, and eight years later the location was named Administrative Support Unit (ASU) Bahrain. In an effort to more accurately reflect the increasing role of United States Navy activities in the region, the organization was renamed ASU Southwest Asia in 1992.

Present

In 1997, under the aegis of the Military Construction Program, facilities located in Juffair saw an increased buildup, resulting in what is known today as Naval Support Activity Bahrain. In 2003, facilities at NSA Bahrain began expanding after Operation Iraqi Freedom began. In 2006, a large food court, known as the "Freedom Souq" and an expanded Navy Exchange opened, expanding morale and welfare support to service members and tenant commands. In 2010, the Navy embarked on a five-year, $580-million project to expand the base, proposing to essentially double the size of the current 62-acre facility. The first phase of construction included a new perimeter wall and security gate along with several new utility buildings. The second phase expanded the port operations with a new harbor patrol facility and included a small-craft basin. New barracks, a dining facility, a renovated recreation center and administrative buildings were also constructed. The final phase included a flyover bridge connecting NSA Bahrain to the port facility at Mina Salman.

In 2021 NSA Bahrain earned the DOD Installation Excellence Award as one of five recipients of the 2021 Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence, which recognizes the people who operate and maintain U.S. military installations.

References

References

1. (12 May 2024). "UMGC, NSA Bahrain Hold Commencement Recognizing College Graduates".
2. (April 2025). "Bahrain, U.S. Sharpen Maritime Skills at Sea".
3. (April 2025). "COMSUBRON 21 welcomes new commodore".
4. "Commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Central > Installations > NSA Bahrain".
5. "Bahrain Protectorate".
6. "History".
7. "New UK naval base opens in Bahrain". BBC News.
8. (April 2025). "Record Seizures in 2021 after NAVCENT and CMF Increase Patrols".
9. (April 2025). "U.S. Navy, Bahrain Commit to Advance New Unmanned Systems Efforts".
10. Tilghman, Andrew, "[http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/06/navy_bahrain_060110w/ 5-year NSA Bahrain expansion project begins]", ''[[Navy Times]]'', June 1, 2010.
11. Sibert, Destiny. (22 July 2021). "Naval Support Activity Bahrain Earns DOD Installation Excellence Award".
12. (April 2025). "Naval Support Activity Bahrain Earns DOD Installation Excellence Award".