The United States does not operate a permanent military base in Yemen. The last acknowledged American foothold inside the country, Al-Anad Air Base in Lahij governorate, was evacuated in March 2015, and every sustained U.S. military operation aimed at Yemen since has been run from outside its borders: from Camp Lemonnier in neighboring Djibouti, from Navy destroyers and carrier strike groups in the Red Sea, and from aircraft flying in from farther afield. A small special operations presence has, at times, been on Yemeni soil, but officials have been inconsistent about whether to admit it exists.
Al-Anad Air Base: The Last Acknowledged US Foothold
Al-Anad, Yemen’s largest military installation, is the facility most often described as a U.S. base in the country, though it was always a Yemeni base that Americans shared. U.S. forces used it as a joint counterterrorism hub, overseeing drone operations against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and supporting Yemeni troops.1BBC News. Yemen Crisis: Loyalists Recapture Al-Anad Airbase From Rebels2Air Force Times. Reports: US Forces Evacuating Yemen Air Base
By early 2015, roughly 100 American troops were stationed at Al-Anad, including Special Forces commandos. On March 21, 2015, a rapid deterioration in security, including al-Qaeda’s seizure of the nearby town of al-Houta, prompted a full evacuation. Houthi rebels overran the base soon after. Pro-government forces retook it in August 2015, but the Americans did not return.2Air Force Times. Reports: US Forces Evacuating Yemen Air Base1BBC News. Yemen Crisis: Loyalists Recapture Al-Anad Airbase From Rebels
Since that withdrawal, no U.S. facility inside Yemen has been publicly identified as a base. What the Pentagon uses instead is a mix of allied territory, ships, and a small, quiet on-the-ground element.
A Small Ground Presence, Inconsistently Acknowledged
Beyond Al-Anad, the United States has kept a limited covert presence in Yemen for counterterrorism work, and officials have not always agreed on whether to admit it. As early as 2010, several dozen troops from the Joint Special Operations Command were operating out of a newly built joint operations center in the country, providing intelligence, electronic surveillance, 3D terrain maps, and targeting assistance to Yemeni forces. JSOC commander Vice Admiral William McRaven visited President Ali Abdullah Saleh in person to coordinate the arrangement, even as officials publicly said the U.S. had “no plans” to send ground troops.3The Washington Post. US Playing a Key Role in Yemen Attacks
The same pattern surfaced a decade later. A December 2023 White House War Powers Act report to Congress stated flatly that “a small number of United States military personnel are deployed to Yemen to conduct operations against al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS.” Weeks later, at a January 2024 press briefing, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder said he was “not aware of any U.S. forces on the ground.” After the contradiction was reported, a Pentagon spokesperson said Ryder’s statement “remains accurate.”4The Intercept. The White House Said US Troops Are in Yemen; The Pentagon Said They Aren’t
In practical terms, if you are asking whether U.S. troops are ever on Yemeni soil, the answer from the White House is yes, in small numbers, for counterterrorism. What does not exist is a named, permanent U.S. installation of the kind the military runs in Djibouti, Bahrain, Qatar, or Kuwait.
Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti: The Real Base for Yemen Operations
The hub for U.S. military operations aimed at Yemen sits across the Bab el-Mandeb strait, in Djibouti. Camp Lemonnier, established in 2002 in the months after the September 11 attacks, is the only permanent U.S. military base on the African continent.5University of Navarra. Djibouti: The Tiny, Valuable Nation Hosting the World’s Military Giants
The camp hosts roughly 4,000 personnel and serves as headquarters for Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, whose mission set includes counterterrorism in Yemen and Somalia. The U.S. reportedly pays about $70 million a year in rent. Between 2017 and 2018 alone, roughly 200 operations were run from the Djibouti base. When SEAL Team 6 launched its January 2017 raid on the Yemeni village of Yakla, the operators staged out of Djibouti before deploying aboard ships of the USS Makin Island amphibious readiness group.5University of Navarra. Djibouti: The Tiny, Valuable Nation Hosting the World’s Military Giants6NBC News. How Trump Team’s First Military Raid Went Wrong
For most purposes, when reporting describes “U.S. forces operating in Yemen,” the physical location of those forces is somewhere other than Yemen itself, and Camp Lemonnier is the most likely candidate.
Ships and Aircraft as the Working Base
The other platform doing the work of a base is the U.S. Navy. Destroyers and carrier strike groups in the Red Sea have carried out most of the strikes attributed to the United States in Yemen since late 2023, when the Houthi movement began targeting commercial shipping.
Under Operation Prosperity Guardian, established in December 2023, more than 20 countries joined a maritime coalition to protect Red Sea shipping.7UK House of Commons Library. Red Sea Shipping Crisis8GlobalSecurity.org. Operation Poseidon Archer9International Institute for Strategic Studies. Operation Poseidon Archer: Assessing One Year of Strikes on Houthi Targets
Individual ships have done extraordinary volumes of combat. The destroyer USS Carney recorded 51 engagements during its Red Sea deployment, starting on October 19, 2023, with the interception of 15 drones and four cruise missiles.10U.S. Navy. USS Carney: A Destroyer at War The USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group has been deployed in the region since December 2024 and lost three fighter jets during that deployment.11Wall Street Journal. Navy Houthis Maritime War Long-range air power has also flown in from outside the theater. In October 2024, B-2 Spirit stealth bombers struck hardened underground weapons facilities in Yemen in what was the first reported combat use of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator.8GlobalSecurity.org. Operation Poseidon Archer
The March–May 2025 escalation followed the same pattern. Beginning March 15, 2025, U.S. forces launched large-scale strikes across seven Yemeni governorates. By the time President Trump announced a halt on May 6, 2025, the Pentagon had reported more than 1,000 strikes over roughly seven weeks.12ACLED. Yemen: US Airstrikes Signal Shift in Strategy Against Houthis13Airwars. US Forces in Yemen None of these strikes were launched from a U.S. base inside Yemen.
What the Legal Authorities Say About Basing
Two different legal theories underpin U.S. operations in Yemen, and neither depends on holding a base there. Counterterrorism strikes against AQAP have been conducted under the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, which the executive branch reads to cover “associated forces” of al-Qaeda.14Office of the Secretary of Defense. Legal Framework for the US Use of Military Force Since 9/11 Operations against Houthi targets have relied instead on the president’s Article II authority as commander in chief, combined with the inherent right of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.15Congressional Research Service. Legal Authorities for US Military Operations Against the Houthis
Congress has repeatedly tried to narrow this activity. In 2018, 56 senators approved a War Powers Act resolution to remove U.S. forces from hostilities in Yemen, but the House blocked a vote. In 2019, both chambers passed the resolution, 248 to 177 in the House and 54 to 46 in the Senate; President Trump vetoed it.16Arms Control Association. Congress Acts on War in Yemen A 2022 measure from Senators Sanders, Leahy, and Warren sought to end intelligence sharing, logistical support, and coordination with coalition forces without congressional authorization.17Office of Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders, Leahy, and Warren Introduce War Powers Resolution to End US Involvement in Saudi War in Yemen None of those efforts stopped operations.
The Current Picture
After Oman brokered a truce, President Trump announced on May 6, 2025, that U.S. strikes against the Houthis had ended. Under the deal, the Houthis agreed to stop targeting U.S. vessels and the U.S. agreed to halt its strikes; the deal did not cover Houthi attacks on Israel or on other shipping.18France 24. Oman Announces Ceasefire Deal Between Yemen’s Houthis, US As of mid-2026, the U.S.-Houthi truce has held, though the Houthis renewed attacks on some non-U.S. shipping in July 2025 and have signaled willingness to resume broader operations if fighting resumes in Gaza.19Congressional Research Service. Yemen: Conflict, Humanitarian Crisis, and US Policy
The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act authorized the U.S. military to seize and use as U.S. stocks any weapons intercepted in transit to the Houthis.20Every CRS Report. US Policy Toward Yemen The Navy continues to maintain a presence in the Red Sea corridor. Al-Anad remains in the hands of Yemeni forces. Camp Lemonnier remains the U.S. base of record for the region. And a small number of American personnel, according to the White House, remain quietly on Yemeni soil for counterterrorism work, even as the Pentagon has at times declined to confirm they are there.4The Intercept. The White House Said US Troops Are in Yemen; The Pentagon Said They Aren’t