Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), supports reducing American forces in the Persian Gulf after the war and shifting some troops westward, as reported by the Washington Post. His position came up in Pentagon discussions about potentially cutting forces in the region following the war and after numerous bases in the area were hit. According to the report, the discussions amount to “preliminary planning,” and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not yet formally ordered the matter to be considered.
Officials in Washington are calling for substantial forces to be moved from Gulf states to bases in Israel. The report noted, however, that the proposal has sparked disagreement. Some officials reportedly fear that a significantly expanded American presence in Israel could create counterintelligence vulnerabilities amid what The Washington Post described as growing Pentagon concerns over Israeli espionage activity.
The discussions come as President Donald Trump has sharply escalated his rhetoric toward Iran, recently posting a map depicting the Strait of Hormuz as “America’s New Territory.” Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs responded to Trump’s post on X, calling the president’s view of the Strait a “delusion” that would soon be corrected. The potential reshuffling of American forces therefore comes at a particularly volatile moment, as Washington weighs how to position its military across the Middle East while its confrontation with Tehran continues to intensify.