Britain,Bahrain and Beyond - Thoughts on the newest Royal Navy base.

The UK has formally opened the new ‘Naval Support Facility’ Bahrain, marking the completion of a major enhancement in the Royal Navy’s overseas support facilities. Officially opened by HRH Prince Andrew this week, the site is a major cornerstone of the ambition to help make the UK a significant permanent player in the Middle East region.

The site (sometimes referred to, albeit inaccurately as ‘HMS JUFAIR’) is a considerable step forward in the UK’s facilities in the region, providing accommodation and shore support facilities for the RN forces deployed in the Gulf. But why does it matter so much to the RN and UK, and what benefits will the UK derive from it?

On a practical level the facility offers permanent accommodation and welfare facilities for several hundred personnel, allowing collocation in one site for the first time of the many RN staff based in Bahrain. This will permit significant savings on previous accommodation arrangements and help give MCMV crews accommodation ashore for the first time – which may well be welcome in the heat of the Gulf summer.

The site comprises three main components – the accommodation and life support facilities, the support warehouses that can be used to provide logistics and mechanical support to vessels, and finally a substantial jetty that can accommodate vessels up to the size of HMS OCEAN or a WASP class LHD. Separately the UK retains a 1* HQ building, known as the UK Maritime Component Command HQ and some other assorted real estate around the wider US naval facility (known as NSA Bahrain).

Image by Ministry of Defence; © Crown copyright

In practical terms this provides a substantial amount of capability to support the enduring RN presence in the region, usually built around a force of one escort ship, four MCMVs, an LSD(A), and a stores ship and tanker, and supported by several smaller Fleet Air Arm helicopter detachments around the region.  For the Royal Navy the facility will provide secure berthing, a location to conduct repairs or to put a ship alongside for a Mid Deployment Standown Period (MDSP).

The benefits of the site boil down to three key overlapping themes: -

a.       Relations with Bahrain

b.       Relations with the USA

c.       Relations with other allies

Relationships with Bahrain

To the Bahrainis the site matters as a way of bringing the UK back into the region on a permanent basis. The withdrawal in 1971 remains a subject of regret to this day, and for decades rulers in the region have sought to see the UK return on a permanent basis.

It has taken many decades of policy discussions and defence reviews to get to a stage where the UK was able to adapt its defence policy to once again focus on openly looking for permanent bases in the region. This was brought about by a desire to build closer defence and economic ties with the Gulf and help reassure friends in the region of the UK’s intent to protect them. Over the last few years there has been a slow and steady build up of capability in the region, with UK personnel moving into a variety of far more permanent locations and infrastructure.

The balancing act is always ‘how much is too much’ – too substantial a permanent presence not only draws resources away from other tasks, it also becomes a millstone that must be supported at all costs. The French for example have a substantial permanent presence in the UAE which cannot easily be retasked for other purposes. There is also the reality that whatever is permanently in a region quickly becomes taken for granted as the baseline of commitment, and it requires major efforts to reassure and convince partners of your ongoing interest.

By contrast the UK approach has evolved into a combination of discrete investment in infrastructure like Bahrain and Duqm in Oman, or semi permanent detachments to airbases around the region, with each commitment being tailored to the host nation. At the same time this is augmented by a variety of surges, sending in capabilities like Tornado bombers or amphibious platforms to work with local nations and continue to demonstrate commitment.

For Bahrain, securing a long term UK commitment helps reassure them of the ongoing determination by HMG to remain in the region. It also helps confirm the presence of an old friend and close ally in a region fraught with difficult neighbours. They will see the UK naval presence as a visible security precaution and means of support.

There are commentators who see the UK presence in the base as a bribe, or means of keeping the UK quiet over difficult allegations of human rights abuses. The counter to this argument is simple – the UK presence in Bahrain actually gives the UK enormous diplomatic influence to help work with the Bahrainis. Unlike other nations which conduct megaphone diplomacy, the UK approach of discrete messaging usually pays dividends, and in future were concerns to exist, even the merest of private hints that it could call into question the long-term UK presence may be enough to shape policy making.

The facility gives both Bahrain and the UK a means of discussing issues as equal partners. For Bahrain it commits the UK to their security and helps retain a physical footprint that is genuinely welcome. For the UK it is a means of helping open dialogue and debate across a range of issues that enable both nations to work well together.

Relations with the USA

The US military presence in Bahrain is considerable and built around a major naval and air force presence which helps provide support to the multitude of US military vessels in the region (a complex web of US navy, army and support service ships). For the US the HQ of their 5^th Fleet is also located here, headed by a 3* Admiral. This major HQ is a critical hub in regional engagement and military operations.

More widely anyone landing at Bahrain airport will see both MCMV helicopters and a major movements terminal supporting global operations. Additionally, several their MCMV force is homeported in the naval base. The US greatly values the Royal Navy presence in the region, and exceptionally close relationships exist between the two forces – particularly on MCMV operations where the two groups operate effectively as one force. There are numerous joint operations and exercises, and it is common to see personnel cross decking between the various support ships locally (the BAY class and the USS PONCE).

For the US, the reopening helps confirm the long term UK commitment to being a major partner and reassures them of their seriousness about operating in the region. It is one thing to occasionally send a destroyer or frigate in to the Gulf, but to provide a year round presence that is supported by engineers and an HQ organisation helps reaffirm UK willingness to play their part.

This influence extends into the 5^th Fleet HQ, where the UK 1* Commodore occupies an office next door to the US 3* - this is not merely symbolic, it represents the utterly integrated approach between the two navies to joint operations. The Jufair complex matters because it helps reassure of long term intentions at a time when there has probably been nervousness within the US system about UK willingness to fund defence, and particularly the Royal Navy, properly.

More widely the site matters because it helps demonstrate the UK’s ongoing investment in the region as part of the move to putting a carrier into the Gulf again and ease the burden on the US Navy. There has been a clear ‘quid pro quo’ in that the US Navy has excelled at providing huge amounts of access, training and support to the RN in keeping carrier aviation alive since ARK ROYAL paid off. The return on the investment is that there is a not so subtle expectation that QUEEN ELIZABETH will fill the slot of the USN carrier force in rotation.

The US carrier force is already struggling to keep a major presence in the Gulf – a near permanent presence of two CVBGs only a few years ago has been whittled down to an occasional presence by one for a few months of the year- it is common for 4-5 months to go by with a ‘carrier gap’. Knowing that the RN is able to deploy and operate a world class carrier in the region, probably embarking US aircraft and potentially accompanying escorts too will make for a significant burden reduction for the US Navy.

Therefore the commitment in Bahrain matters because it shows the UK remains determined to sustain the necessary HQ and support presence required to keep ships deployed and operational in the region. In a similar vein, news that Duqm will have an RN logistics presence is reassuring for the USN who will welcome the visible RN logistic and infrastructure investment in the region.

Relationships with Other Allies

The facility provides support for the UK to enhance its relationship with allies through other means too. Firstly, it helps continue to justify the ongoing commitment to the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) operation, whose deputy commander is also the UK 1*.

The site itself will be seen as a strong draw for navies who want to operate in the Gulf. Offering significant support facilities, it is likely that many friendly navies will beat a path to the door of the RN seeking access for maintenance periods, or occasional use of stores, accommodation and support opportunities. For the UK this represents an ability to enhance their relationship with allies through offers of support, and to thicken the relationship with other navies.

The close relationship that the UK has with the US is valued by other allies, who know that the UK is able to genuinely shape and influence US thinking. The continued UK influence at the heart of the system will be valued by likeminded friends as a way of being able to send messages and help get them heard and taken seriously. Sometimes it is extremely helpful to have a friend message on your behalf.

Finally the facility serves as a visible reminder to other partners of the UK’s ability to deploy at distance and sustain truly global armed forces. For all the talk of a retreating Britain, the UK remains one of the very few nations to deploy their armed forces across multiple continents in permanent bases. The facility at Bahrain, along with others in the Gulf and beyond helps reinforce the message that the UK has reach, presence and capability which can be used to support friends and deter foes.

Overall the NSF Bahrain represents an important step forward for the UK in enhancing relationships with allies, improving the ability of the Royal Navy to operate in the region and messaging about UK global military capabilities. It will prove to be a vital diplomatic and military tool likely to be used for decades to come as a key part of UK defence and diplomatic efforts in the region. The facility will enhance relationships that are mutually complimentary, providing wider diplomatic and political benefits while also helping keep Royal Navy warships ready to operate and ready to fight and win in the region. Truly this is a good news story for the UK.