Passengers make their way through the Ramstein Passenger Terminal on Ramstein Air Base in this 2012 photo. Military dependents and civilians who fled Bahrain at the start of the war will need to relocate from Germany to the U.S. by June 30, according to a new Pentagon memo. (Ian Camejo/U.S. Army)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Hundreds of U.S. military dependents and Defense Department civilians who fled Bahrain at the start of the war with Iran will soon be required to relocate from Germany to the U.S., according to a new Pentagon memo.
Naval Support Activity Bahrain, home to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the U.S. 5th Fleet, evacuated thousands of nonessential personnel at the start of Operation Epic Fury.
The mission began Feb. 28 with joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. In retaliation, Iran launched attacks on U.S. military installations in a number of Middle Eastern countries. The ensuing days saw an exodus from NSA Bahrain, which typically hosts more than 8,300 U.S. service members, civilian employees and their families.
Most evacuees traveled to stateside safe haven locations, but the Pentagon made an exception for those who wanted to wait out the conflict in the Kaiserslautern area.
It hosts the largest overseas military community and allowed students to finish the academic year in the Defense Department’s school system.
Now, those evacuees must make plans to relocate to a different safe haven location by June 30, according to a Thursday memo seen by Stars and Stripes. According to a separate March 3 order, designated safe havens can be anywhere in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, or non-foreign U.S. territories like Puerto Rico and the North Mariana Islands.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions about why families and civilians were being directed to change their safe haven locations.
Many in Germany have been living in temporary housing on tourist visas, which have a 90-day limit. For those enrolled in DOD schools, classes end June 9. The Pentagon memo encouraged those with tourist visas to immediately apply for an extended visa.
Once families arrive at their new safe haven, the 180-day time limit for allowances will restart, according to the memo, which was signed by Anthony Tata, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.
One military spouse from NSA Bahrain said her family will be sad to leave the Kaiserslautern Military Community. It has been incredibly generous in helping her kids transition to a new school and environment, she said.
Stars and Stripes agreed not to identify the spouse because she feared speaking publicly could negatively impact her family. They’ll figure out the logistics of next steps, she said, but they’re still left with many questions.
“Our children consider Bahrain home,” she said. “Their friends there are back to normal life, their activities have resumed, and they ask every day when they can go back.”
Bahrain is the only accompanied billet in the region, and families there say they’ve grown close to the community during their multiyear stays.
Naval Support Activity Bahrain Installation Training Team members conduct an emergency response exercise on Feb. 1, 2026. The exercise simulated an emergency situation including a shelter-in-place order, mass casualty event, and noncombatant evacuation operation on the installation. (Raphael McCorey/U.S. Navy)
Bahrain Community Schools, which are operated by the Defense Department, enroll both American and international students.
The spouse said she is concerned that a prolonged absence of U.S. military families will have a negative impact on the Bahraini community and the long-standing relationship with Americans.
“I worry that if we stay away for too long, some of that trust and goodwill could go away,” she said.
The guidance issued by Tata raises new questions about when evacuees will be able to return to NSA Bahrain, which suffered extensive damage, including to warehouses and radar domes.
The head of U.S. Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, told reporters last week that he’d like to see families back in Bahrain as soon as possible, while noting that about 90% have said they want to return.
But it’s unclear when or under what conditions that will be possible. The U.S. and Iran are technically under a temporary ceasefire agreement at the moment, but both have threatened a return to combat if a permanent deal isn’t made.