SATISH SHARMA - not just Rotigraphy.: What *The Telegraph acknowledges is the physical collapse of an empire.

https://x.com/aprajitanefes/status/2101188215587950815

|This analysis by *The Telegraph serves, in essence, as an "autopsy report" on the U.S. military architecture in the Middle East. It acknowledges a fact Washington is most reluctant to face: the "forward defense" network, built by the U.S. over three decades at a cost of trillions of dollars in the Persian Gulf, has transformed from a tool of deterrence into a sitting duck under seven months of Iranian strikes.

 Documented Damage: E-3 AWACS "Decapitated," Hundreds of Buildings Destroyed

The scale of the damage revealed by the Pentagon Inspector General’s report and exclusive photos obtained by CBS is systemic.

At Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base, the tail section of a Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft was sheared off by a missile, separating it from the charred fuselage. This $270 million aircraft was a core node for U.S. aerial intelligence gathering. Its destruction created a gap in intelligence gathering capabilities within the airspace that cannot be quickly filled.

At Camp Buehring in Kuwait, a major staging area for U.S. ground forces and armored vehicles, photos show crushed trailers, large tent structures torn to shreds, and thick smoke rising from the site.

The Pentagon Inspector General’s report confirmed that Iranian missile and drone strikes "damaged and destroyed" hundreds of buildings and structures at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan. Equipment losses are estimated at up to $3.7 billion, including nearly 60 aircraft. A U.S. soldier deployed at one of the bases put it bluntly to CBS: "We aren't defending these bases. We're just watching them get destroyed."

 Centrifugal Forces: Gulf Allies No Longer Trust U.S. "Protection"

*The Telegraph*’s core assessment is that these bases "no longer provide deterrence. Instead, they have become magnets for Iranian retaliation."

The reactions of the Gulf states are, in fact, of greater strategic significance than the physical damage itself. A Gulf official famously told *The Washington Post*: "Trump started this war, and we are paying the price."

Dissatisfaction with the U.S. among Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain has reached its highest level since the U.S. Israeli strike on Iran in February. A Western diplomat noted that the U.S. military presence in the region is shifting from a "necessary evil" to something whose "very necessity is being questioned."

Actions speak louder than words:

· Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan signed the "Mecca Joint Defense Agreement." A senior European official described this as a "signal" to the U.S., indicating that the three nations are "trying to diversify their security and defense partnerships" because, in their view, "the U.S. is not enough."

· *The New York Times* reported that Arab states in the Persian Gulf are "seeking a new security umbrella" after "losing hope in the U.S." Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain have been driven to "examine new security arrangements and expand dialogue with Iran."

 The Paradox: The U.S. Discusses "Scaling Back" While Iran Expands Its "Control"

CNN revealed on September 8 that U.S. military and intelligence agencies have begun informal discussions about "permanently reducing" personnel and facilities in the Middle East following the war with Iran.

Discussions include moving some facilities underground to withstand Iranian missile and drone attacks. A U.S. official confirmed that the CIA's outpost in Riyadh was "effectively destroyed" in an Iranian attack.

Yet, there is an irreconcilable paradox here: the U.S. is discussing "scaling back its presence," while Iran is expanding its control.

Iran and Oman have delineated new shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, bringing the southern channel into Iranian territorial waters. Yemeni armed forces have seized control of the Bab el Mandeb Strait.

Following the destruction of the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, U.S. forces will not return in the short term. Logistics operations have been forced to relocate to Diego Garcia, thousands of kilometers away.

The U.S. is not choosing to "scale back." It is being pushed out of one forward position after another by Iran's strike capabilities.

 Thirty Years of "Forward Defense" Undone in Seven Months

What *The Telegraph acknowledges is the physical collapse of an empire.