US Shutters Major Army Bases in Qatar, Moves Supplies to Jordan

The US military is repositioning resources to put more focus on China

The US Army shuttered three bases in Qatar last month and transferred the remaining equipment to Jordan, Stars and Stripes reported on Thursday. According to a US Army statement, the service closed Camp As Sayliyah-Main, Camp As Sayliyah-South, and an ammunition supply point named Falcon.

The Army said the most consequential closure was the shuttering of a prepositioning facility at Camp As Sayliyah. The military installation consisted of 27 warehouses which have 36.3 acres of storage space. It was the largest prepositioning facility for the US Army outside of the United States and was used to preposition troops and equipment for US wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries.

Supplies from all three bases were transferred to Jordan, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said. While the equipment remains in the Middle East, shuttering such a large military facility in the region is another example of the US military shifting its focus towards confronting China and Russia.

The US has also removed eight Patriot antimissile batteries from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, and Jordan. Military personnel and other equipment are also expected to be pulled out of the region.

In its 2022 budget request, the Pentagon identified China as the top “pacing threat” facing the US military. Previous administrations had attempted to “pivot to Asia” to confront China, but the Biden administration seems determined to really do it this time. Kurt Campbell, Biden’s top Asia official on the National Security Council, recently said for the “first time” the US is “shifting our strategic focus, our economic interests, our military might more to the Indo-Pacific.”

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.