Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao said Iranian forces caused extensive damage to Naval Support Activity Bahrain, home to the US Fifth Fleet, in what the Epoch Times described as a high-level acknowledgment of damage sustained during the Iran conflict. “They blew the hell out of Bahrain,” Cao said in an interview with the Epoch Times. Discussing the recent deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln and the logistical demands of sustained operations, Cao said the damage at the Bahrain base left the carrier’s crew with “no place for them to pull in.” Asked whether US forces would need to return to and repair the Bahrain base after the conflict, Cao said, “I have a task force that’s looking at that.” President Donald Trump has nominated Cao to serve as secretary of the Navy on a permanent basis, and his nomination awaits Senate consideration.