Bahrain to join CENTCOM's ‘attack drone' task force

A still taken from a video released on 16 August 2026 by an Iranian military internet video channel shows an unidentified type of OWA UAV the IRGC claims to have shot down. (Noghtezan)

Bahrain is committed to joining US Central Command's (CENTCOM's) Task Force Falcon Strike, the US Embassy in Manama announced on 25 September.

The embassy said Bahrain affirmed its commitment to joining the task force and procuring additional US munitions and air-defence systems during a meeting that included US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael DiMino and Bahraini Minister of Defence Affairs Major General Abdullah bin Hassan al-Nuaimi on 23-24 September.

The Bahrain News Agency reported the 21st meeting of the Bahrain-US Joint Military Committee, but did not reveal what was agreed.

CENTCOM announced the establishment of Task Force Falcon Strike on 14 August, describing it as “the first multidomain, multinational attack drone” force. It did not identify any other members, but said regional partners had been invited and that the task force would be scaled up as they join.

Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM's commander, said Task Force Falcon Strike will expand on Task Force Scorpion Strike, which was established in December 2025 as the US military's first unit dedicated to using unmanned one-way attack vehicles in the Middle East.

“The United States military has a lot of strong partnerships and friends in the region,” Adm Cooper said. “We are collectively stronger when we integrate and deploy new capabilities together.”

Task Force Scorpion Strike has been credited with carrying out attacks on Iran using LUCAS one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles (OWA UAVs) and the unmanned surface vessels that were used against the midget submarine lift at the Bandar Abbas naval base in July.