"Britain has cemented its enhanced and permanent presence in the Gulf with the opening of the United Kingdom Naval Support Facility at a ceremony at Mina Salman port in Bahrain today. The Naval Support Facility will play a central role in the UK’s ability to operate in the region, and will be the hub of the Royal Navy’s operations in the Gulf, Red Sea and Indian Ocean," the statement, published on the UK government’s website, read.
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The base will accommodate over 300 UK troops and civilian staff, as well as host up to 550 individuals for short periods of time, the document noted.
The military base called HMS Jufair in Bahrain was first opened by the British Empire back in 1935. However, after Bahrain gained its independence from the empire in 1971, the US forces, which have been leasing the facility since the 1950s, took over the site.
In late 2014, London announced the reopening of the base.
