Intensification of U.S. Surveillance and Confrontation with China’s Threats; Trump’s Goal in Regaining Control of Bagram Air Base

Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The recent speech by the U.S. President at the Al Udeid military base in Qatar contained a crucial point. For the umpteenth time in recent weeks, Trump, while criticizing the Biden administration’s policy of shutting down Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan as a mistake, emphasized: “We will keep Bagram Air Base. We will not let it go, because it is only an hour away from China.”

Hamid Khoshayand – International Affairs Expert
On April 30, Trump had also stated in remarks at the White House: “We intended to retain the massive Bagram Air Force Base because it is just an hour away from where China builds its nuclear weapons.”

Regaining U.S. control over Bagram Air Base was one of Trump’s military promises during his presidential campaign. He pledged that, if elected, he would seek to reassert control over Bagram Air Base while intensifying surveillance over China. He also claimed he aimed to reclaim the base as part of a commercial agreement with Afghanistan.

Although Trump has recently tried to highlight the base’s importance due to its unique position for monitoring China and countering its threats, the reality is that Bagram holds significance for the U.S. beyond China.

The Importance of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan for the U.S.
Bagram’s importance for the U.S., both during its direct military presence in Afghanistan until 2021 and now as Trump seeks to regain it and has initiated efforts to do so, stems from several factors:

1. Bagram, more than a military base, symbolizes the history of military presence and influence by global powers, including the Soviet Union and the United States, in Afghanistan. Constructed by the Soviets in the 1950s, Bagram Air Base is a relic of the Soviet era in Afghanistan.

During the Soviet-Afghan War (1979–1989), the base served as the USSR’s primary military operations hub. After the Soviet withdrawal, Bagram witnessed clashes and shifting control between the Mujahideen groups and the Taliban until 2001, when U.S. and coalition forces rebuilt and upgraded it into the central hub for U.S. military operations.

2. Regarding facilities, Bagram is one of the world’s largest air bases, with the longest runways. Its expansive infrastructure—including wide runways, fortified shelters, control towers, weapon storage, and aircraft maintenance facilities—enables it to accommodate large military aircraft like bombers and heavy cargo planes.
3. However, Bagram’s strategic location in Central Asia makes it most critical for the U.S.. Its proximity to key transportation routes makes it a pivotal base for projecting military power across Afghanistan and the region. In this area, U.S. rivals and primary threats, namely China, Russia, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, are situated.

Thus, Bagram serves as a military base and a remote surveillance and control tool for monitoring U.S. rivals and adversaries in the region. Controlling Bagram allows the U.S. to track security and intelligence developments, monitor militant groups in Afghanistan and its periphery, and manage crises through influence and power.

4. The U.S. government pursues key objectives in regaining control of Bagram Air Base, including:

• a) The internal protests in Iraq against the U.S. military presence have destabilized American forces there. Bagram offers the U.S. a backup and alternative location to reduce or replace its direct presence in Iraq.
• b) The U.S. faces three significant challenges in the region and globally: the China-Russia-Iran triangle. A renewed military presence at Bagram would enable the U.S. to closely monitor these countries’ activities and prevent their full dominance over Afghanistan’s rich resources and geostrategic position, as Trump referenced.

It is essential to note that while the U.S. maintains bases like Al Udeid (Qatar), Al Dhafra (UAE), and others in the region, none are geographically as close to its strategic rivals as Bagram.

In any case, U.S. efforts to revive its direct military presence at Bagram Air Base align with a broader, long-term strategy to contain rivals in the heart of Asia. This strategy, relying on limited military presence, intelligence capabilities, and indirect pressure, reflects the continuity of power competition in the region and reinforces Bagram’s pivotal role in this equation.