“The Iranians were able to hit them with their ballistic missiles, with their drones. We had to evacuate our bases. We couldn't even fight a war from our military bases. So the fundamental question is, what good is a military base that you can't fight a war from? So really our bases and our presence in the region simply give the Iranians the ability to reach us and strike us whenever they want,”

Joe Kent · said 2026-08-18 · reported 2026-08-19

Kent said U.S. bases in the region proved vulnerable to Iranian missile and drone strikes, forcing evacuations.