In an exclusive interview, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao told me that Iranian forces "blew the hell out of Bahrain." While open-source analyses have long indicated that the U.S. Fifth Fleet Headquarters at Naval Support Activity Bahrain sustained extensive damage in the early days of the Iran conflict, Cao's comment represents a direct and high-level acknowledgment of the matter. This comment came up as Cao and I discussed a range of issues the Department of the Navy faces and how he's addressing them. President Donald Trump recently nominated Cao to serve as the full-time Secretary of the Navy. Cao awaits consideration before the Senate. As I asked about the USS Abraham Lincoln's recent deployment, overall fleet operational tempo, and the logistical support it takes to sustain high-intensity operations, Cao acknowledged damage to NSA Bahrain left the Lincoln's crew "no place for them to pull in." There's ongoing debate as to whether U.S. forces should reoccupy and repair their various bases across the Middle East once this Iran conflict has concluded, or whether these installations represent an outdated model for force projection in the region. I asked whether a return to NSA Bahrain would be necessary to sustain strenuous deployments like the kind the Lincoln's crew just saw. Cao said, "I have a task force that's looking at that."