"The move becomes effective immediately, and I do know that 10 family
members have arrived on the island already," U.S. Navy spokesman Lt. Nathan
Christiansen said on June 29.
On June 28, the Defense Department said children of U.S. military
personnel could return to Bahrain. Officials said up to 500 children could
arrive in the Gulf Arab kingdom over the next few months.
"We have around 3,000 people in Bahrain on what we call 'permanent duty
orders,'" Christiansen said. "The decision means that any of these people
who wish to bring their families to live with them can now do so."
By April 2007, dependents were allowed to visit military personnel in
Bahrain. In January 2009, based on a decision made three months earlier, the
first dependents arrived on a permanent basis in Manama. The return of the
dependents, officials said, would enable military personnel to spend up to
two years in a single tour in Bahrain.
The return of the dependents came as Bahrain placed on trial two men
charged with being part of an Al Qaida plot to attack the Fifth Fleet. U.S.
Navy officers said Manama has been sharing information on the purported Al
Qaida plot, which allegedly included operatives in Jordan and Kuwait.