Britain is building a base in the Middle East for the first time since 1971:
Construction work has begun in Bahrain to build Britain's first permanent military base in the Middle East since 1971, amid security threats in the region, Bahrain's state media reported Sunday. ...
The new base in Bahrain "will enable Britain to send more and larger ships to reinforce stability in the Gulf," British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said last year.
Sure. It could project power into the Middle East.
If I was a rude writer, I'd emphasize the new British ability to retire to a nearby port after the Iranians take naval crews hostage.
But I'm not inherently rude, so I'll thank Britain for reminding us that the CENTCOM region was not calm enough to pivot away from it to focus on the Pacific.
But hey, at least Iran won't get nukes.
