US President Donald Trump with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the Oval Office in July. EPA
US President Donald Trump with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the Oval Office in July. EPA
US President Donald Trump with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the Oval Office in July. EPA
US President Donald Trump with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the Oval Office in July. EPA

Bahrain targets deeper defence ties with US and deterrence against regional threats


Vanessa Ghanem
  • English
  • Arabic

Bahrain’s defence relationship with the US is entering a new phase, highlighting a steady expansion of military and strategic ties that date back decades.

Washington designated Bahrain a major non-Nato ally in 2002, cementing a status that has supported closer arms sales, training and interoperability. Manama also hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, anchoring the American maritime posture in the Gulf. The fleet conducts operations to interdict Iranian weapons smuggling and protect critical waterways around the Arabian Peninsula.

This month, the US State Department approved the potential $500 million sale of four M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (Himars) launchers and related gear to Bahrain. The package includes training pods – M28A2 Low-Cost Reduced-Range Practice Rocket Pods – with a 15km range, plus resupply vehicles, command-and-control systems and support.

The Defence Security Co-operation Agency announced the approval, which now awaits Congressional review. The Pentagon said the sale “will not alter the basic military balance in the region”. Based on World Bank figures for 2024, the notional package equals about 1 per cent of Bahrain’s GDP.

The Himars sale was planned, a former Pentagon official told The National. “These things take time, even though Bahrain is a major non-Nato ally,” said the former official. Still, the timing is notable.

Manama appears to be emphasising deterrence after Iran in June launched a ballistic missile strike on Al Udeid Air Base in neighbouring Qatar – the largest US military facility in the Middle East. US officials initially reported there was no impact on the base, but subsequent analysis and Pentagon acknowledgement indicated at least one missile struck a geodesic dome. No casualties were reported.

During the 12-day Israel-Iran war, Iran chose to strike a Gulf country to retaliate against US attacks on its underground nuclear sites. While Tehran described the move as an act of “self defence” and took precautions to avoid civilian harm, the barrage pierced a long-standing regional red line: direct military action against a Gulf state’s territory. The attack was condemned by all Gulf states.

The episode highlighted a vulnerability to long-range attacks and the premium placed on integrated air and missile defence. In that context, rocket artillery training and readiness matter even if range-limited rounds are involved.

“There is desire to acquire deterrent capability, notably in the form of short-range missiles to deter Iran,” Hasan Alhasan, a Manama-based senior fellow for Middle East policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, told The National. “There is also evidence that Bahrain has in the past shown interest in such capability by acquiring short-range missile systems and the Army Tactical Missile System.”

That is a US-made, surface-to-surface precision-strike missile system capable of hitting targets up to 300km away.

In 2024, Bahrain and Iran signaled a mutual interest in restoring diplomatic ties, after relations had been strained since 2016. The push followed a landmark March 2023 agreement brokered by China, which saw Saudi Arabia and Iran reopen embassies. This progress, though, faced its most serious test in June.

Political dividends in Washington

The purchase also fits the broader political arc. In July, Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa visited Washington, a trip that was regarded as a success in Manama, according to people familiar with the matter.

During the visit, the Crown Prince announced plans to invest more than $17 billion in the US at a meeting with President Donald Trump focused on trade, Iran and regional security issues. One of the agreements signed aimed to advance a peaceful nuclear partnership between Bahrain and the US.

US President Donald Trump and Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad announced agreements that included co-operation on small modular nuclear reactors. Bloomberg
US President Donald Trump and Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad announced agreements that included co-operation on small modular nuclear reactors. Bloomberg

Analysts say the visit showed how defence, economic and energy ties are being expanded in tandem. Its outcome also plays into the fact that the Trump administration places a premium on partners acquiring US defence systems, Mr Alhasan said.

“There's a political dimension involved," he added. "Bahrain sees the emphasis and the value that the Trump administration gives to these kinds of transactions, and this is partly meant to serve that political purpose of reinforcing and strengthening the relationship with the United States."

The former Pentagon official echoed that view, saying: “The transfer is politically important for sustaining the relationship, but it’s not strategically significant or militarily transformative."

Bahrain’s small size and limited territory constrain the operational impact of a handful of Himars launchers. Even though the system is capable, the distance to major regional targets such as Iran means the purchase is largely symbolic.

Staying in step with regional peers

Bahrain has an incentive to remain in step with peers. In the region, only the UAE and Jordan are known to have previously acquired Himars from the US, while Saudi forces have trained on American-owned launchers in-country.

For Manama, acquiring the system is as much about coalition interoperability as it is about prestige. It ensures Bahrain remains aligned with Gulf partners investing in precision arms and integrated command-and-control networks.

“Bahrain remains somewhat on par with some of its Gulf neighbours that have also acquired a range of deterrent capabilities, UAV capabilities and various kinds of missile systems," said Mr Alhasan. "There is a deliberate effort to maintain a degree of parity with their neighbours, irrespective of differences of scale."

Strategically, the move aligns with Washington’s post-2023 effort to formalise and deepen integration with Bahrain. The Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement, signed in September 2023 and brought into force a month later, commits both sides to tighter defence and intelligence co-operation and consultation in crises.

The Himars case is one more brick in that wall: it enhances Bahrain’s ability to plug into US-led coalitions and support American installations on the island.

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BOSH!'s pantry essentials

Nutritional yeast

This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.

Seeds

"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."

Umami flavours

"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".

Onions and garlic

"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."

Your grain of choice

Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."

India team for Sri Lanka series

Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharath (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

T20 squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan

MATCH INFO

Liverpool 2 (Van Dijk 18', 24')

Brighton 1 (Dunk 79')

Red card: Alisson (Liverpool)

Fixtures

Sunday, December 8, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v USA

Monday, December 9, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – USA v Scotland

Wednesday, December 11, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v Scotland

Thursday, December 12, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v USA

Saturday, December 14, ICC Academy, Dubai – USA v Scotland

Sunday, December 15, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v Scotland

Note: All matches start at 10am, admission is free

Essentials

The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes. 
 

Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes. 


In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes. 
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.

Company name: Play:Date

Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day

Founder: Shamim Kassibawi

Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US

Sector: Tech 

Size: 20 employees

Stage of funding: Seed

Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

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LA LIGA FIXTURES

Friday

Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)

Valencia v Levante (midnight)

Saturday

Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)

Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)

Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)

Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)

Sunday

Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)

Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)

Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)

'Operation Mincemeat' 

Director: John Madden 

 

Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton

 

Rating: 4/5

 
Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The story in numbers

18

This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens

450,000

More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps

1.5 million

There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m

73

The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association

18,000

The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme

77,400

The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study

4,926

This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENetflix%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKris%20Fade%2C%20Ebraheem%20Al%20Samadi%2C%20Zeina%20Khoury%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ACL Elite (West) - fixtures

Monday, Sept 30

Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)

Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)

Classification of skills

A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation. 

A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.

The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000. 

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%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

In numbers

1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:

  • 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
  • 150 tonnes to landfill
  • 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal

800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal

Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year

25 staff on site

 

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Pari

Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment

Director: Prosit Roy

Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani

Three stars

NBA FINALS SO FAR

(Toronto lead 3-2 in best-of-seven series)

Game 1 Raptors 118 Warriors 109

Game 2 Raptors 104 Warriors 109

Game 3 Warriors 109 Raptors 123

Game 4 Warriors 92 Raptors 105

Game 5 Raptors 105 Warriors 106

Game 6 Thursday, at Oakland

Game 7 Sunday, at Toronto (if needed)

THE SIXTH SENSE

Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: 5/5

Results

6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,600m

Winner: Celtic Prince, David Liska (jockey), Rashed Bouresly (trainer).

7.05pm: Conditions Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner: Commanding, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

7.40pm: Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 2,000m

Winner: Grand Argentier, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.

8.15pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 2,200m

Winner: Arch Gold, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.

8.50pm: The Entisar Listed Dh265,000 (D) 2,000m

Winner: Military Law, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.

9.25pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,200m

Winner: Ibn Malik, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.

10pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m

Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut

Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”

Updated: August 27, 2025, 1:02 PM