US blatant disregard for people of Bahrain in midst of Human Rights Crisis

US base in Bahrain to double size
By ADAM GONN – Published: May 28, 2010 00:27 Updated: May 28, 2010 00:27

MANAMA: Amid regional turmoil, a US naval base in the Gulf is set for major expansion.

Ground has been broken at the American naval base in Bahrain, home to the US Fifth Fleet, for a $580 million expansion that is estimated to take five years to complete, the US Navy said in a press statement on Wednesday.

“Naval Support Activity Bahrain continues to grow to better support ongoing operations around the region,” said Capt. Enrique Sadsad, commanding officer of Naval Support Activity Bahrain. “This expansion project will not only enhance our ability to support our tenant commands and their mission, whether that be logistics, aviation, theater security, or surface operational support,” Sadsad continued.

“(The) US navy and its allies carry out many maneuvers annually with navies from the region. With these exercises, plus the expected conflict, the new base is more ideal,” defense consultant Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Musa Qallab, told The Media Line.

“It seems the US navy needs better infrastructure in order to fully fulfill the requirement it has for its operations, the new naval base, the US navy and its allies for decades,” Qallab said.

“Regarding the reaction of Iran,” he continued. “They will not accept this provocation. Iran sees Gulf security as something for the Gulf countries and not for foreign countries.”

Mustafa Alani, senior adviser and director of terrorism studies at the Gulf Research Center in the UAE, told The Media Line that the expansions were part of a natural process since the base in more than four decades old.

“It’s actually not forced by political development or changes in the security environment,” Alani said. “It’s forced by the need, because you have to remember this base was established more than 40 years ago. There is a natural expansion; there is a need to expand the building and the space,” he said. …more