NORFOLK, Va. - At a virtual town hall meeting, Navy families who abruptly evacuated from Bahrain six months ago had many questions. They said they still aren't getting enough answers.
NPR has reviewed a recording of the meeting, along with a full list of questions the families were asking Navy officials.
The families left Bahrain on short notice with few possessions shortly after the U.S.-Iran war began. Many are still living in temporary conditions, at hotels and short-term rentals, both inside the United States and in other parts of the world. About 580 people participated in the call last week, where Navy leaders tried to provide some answers but also left many unsure of what comes next.
The head of the Navy's Fifth Fleet, Vice Adm. Curt Renshaw, acknowledged the hardships brought on by the rapid evacuations and that the Navy is "making it up as we go because nothing is conceived to go on this length of time." He also went on to say, "these are complex problems and the solutions have not been exactly obvious."
When the military and the State Department ordered the evacuation of dependents on March 2, Renshaw told families the Navy expected only a brief displacement, similar to when the U.S. and Israeli forces attacked Iran's nuclear facilities in June 2025. That war lasted 12 days.
"Unfortunately, this has just stretched on and on, and has evolved into something greater and a bigger challenge," Renshaw said during the conversation. "When we talk about that challenge, we've delayed making some hard decisions because we didn't want to close the door on getting people back into Bahrain."
U.S. dependents left everything behind
The Iran war has left the Navy scrambling to figure out what to do with 1,300 dependents who left just about everything behind in Bahrain, the headquarters of the Navy's Fifth Fleet. The number doesn't include the sailors and civilian workers, who were also displaced.
One Navy spouse, who has two small children, says she is now on her eighth relocation in less than six months. Like many families, they initially went to Europe and then to various locations in the U.S. NPR is not using her name because she worries about the impact on her husband's career. Her husband is in the Navy and is still in Bahrain.
"I need to take control over my life again and not just be at the whim of the administration, and I need to make plans and move on from this," she said. "I don't want to be dragged around in this anymore. I feel like my spouse is holding up his end of the deal."
School is about to start for the couple's two children. She expects to spend more out of pocket just to stay in a single location throughout the coming school year.
"I'm all alone and in a state that doesn't really have a military presence," she said. "No one really gets what's going on or even knows where Bahrain is."
People in the community occasionally notice the higher gas prices, but otherwise the war has no real impact on them.
"It's very lonely and exhausting," she said.
Searching for a permanent solution
On Tuesday, the State Department will end the ordered departure which governs the evacuation. The Navy, Department of Defense civilians and the State Department, each have different rules that govern how families are paid while they live under mandatory evacuation orders.
"The safety and security of our personnel and their families remain the Department's top priority as we continue to assess conditions across the region," said a State Department spokesman. "Authorized departure and ordered departure cannot go past 180 days. As this deadline approaches for the U.S. Embassy in Bahrain, we are working with our post to finalize a determination of appropriate posture."
According to information relayed during the virtual town hall, the Navy wants families to pick a more permanent location, while the military decides what will eventually happen to families assigned to Bahrain. They would receive a housing allowance, similar to what other military families receive.
The spouses NPR spoke with, who also did not want to be named, said they believe the Navy has already waited too long to see if their situation would return to normal. They are also concerned that a growing number of expenses will now come out of their own pockets. Most people have not received their belongings from Bahrain. Many people have had to buy second cars and new clothing.
While the typical Navy tour lasts two to three years, some civilian employees have been in Bahrain for more than a decade. The Navy was not able to answer questions about the status of family members who don't have a U.S. visa to remain in the United States.
Vice Adm. Renshaw also acknowledged that some of the problems involve outdated regulations. The cap on rental car payments hasn't changed since the 1990s.
Naval Support Activity Bahrain is a main supply hub for the Navy, but carriers and supply ships can't currently use the base, because of risk of attack from nearby Iran, just across the Gulf.
Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel who was once stationed in Bahrain, said the base looks like a piece of Southern California dropped into the Middle East.
Several families told the Navy and NPR that they wanted to return to Bahrain. But Cancian, who's now a military analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the war may have permanently changed how the U.S. operates its bases in the Middle East, including Bahrain.
"The families won't go back there, at least not for quite a while. It's just too dangerous," Cancian said.
After nearly six months of conflict, the U.S.-Iran war is now defined by an extended U.S. naval blockade, which is monopolizing two U.S. aircraft carriers. With neither side backing down, Cancian expects the conflict will drag on well past the midterm elections in November.
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