Task Force Falcon Strike, the multinational one-way attack drone force U.S. Central Command announced in August, now has its first publicly named member. The U.S. Embassy in Manama announced Sept. 25 that Bahrain is committed to joining the task force, according to Janes.
When CENTCOM announced the force, it named no partner nations. The Bahraini commitment is the first public attachment of a specific country to the effort.
What Was Announced, and Where
Janes reports that the commitment came during the 21st Bahrain-US Joint Military Committee meeting, held Sept. 23-24. The U.S. side was represented by Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael DiMino. Bahrain's delegation was led by Minister of Defence Affairs Maj. Gen. Abdullah bin Hassan al-Nuaimi.
The public record on the meeting is thin. Janes notes that the Bahrain News Agency reported the meeting took place but did not reveal what was agreed. The Falcon Strike commitment comes from the U.S. Embassy announcement, not from the Bahraini readout. Janes also reports that the embassy said Bahrain affirmed a commitment to procure additional U.S. munitions and air-defense systems. No quantities, types, timelines or contract details appear in the material reviewed for this article, and nothing public says what Bahrain will contribute to the drone force, whether that is basing, personnel, funding or hardware.
What Falcon Strike Is
Janes says CENTCOM announced the task force Aug. 14 as the first multidomain, multinational attack drone force. Army Times, in a story dated Aug. 14, described the release as coming on a Thursday, which would be Aug. 13. The one-day discrepancy between the two outlets is unresolved here, so both dates are given.
Per Army Times, the force uses one-way attack drones across unmanned systems above, on and below the sea. It is to be managed by U.S. military support staff and regional partners. The release did not specify which partners CENTCOM is working with.
Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, said in the release that Task Force Falcon Strike "will expand on Scorpion Strike's success," as quoted by Army Times.
The Scorpion Strike Lineage
Falcon Strike builds on Task Force Scorpion Strike, established in December 2025. Janes describes Scorpion Strike as the first U.S. unit dedicated to unmanned one-way attack vehicles in the Middle East. Army Times credits it with the first launch of an aerial attack drone from a U.S. Navy warship, in December, and with deploying one-way attack unmanned aerial systems during Operation Epic Fury and unmanned attack vessels against Iranian port facilities in July.
Janes adds specifics. It credits Scorpion Strike with LUCAS one-way attack UAV attacks on Iran, and with using unmanned surface vessels against the midget submarine lift at Bandar Abbas in July. The Janes photo caption refers to an Aug. 16 Iranian video of a claimed one-way attack UAV shootdown. That is an IRGC claim and has not been independently verified.
The Gulf Daily News, in its report on the launch, noted that Falcon Strike arrived nine months after Scorpion Strike. It described the aim as scaling attack drone capabilities across the Middle East into a unified multi-domain, multinational deterrent, wording Army Times also attributes to the CENTCOM release.
A Caution on Partner Lists
The Gulf Daily News says CENTCOM is consulting with and formally inviting regional partners. It lists Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the UAE and Yemen. That list is the newspaper's own. Army Times reports the CENTCOM release did not specify partners, and no official document reviewed here names those countries as invitees. Bahrain is the only nation confirmed by an official channel, in this case the U.S. Embassy in Manama, as reported by Janes.
Why It Matters
Scorpion Strike was a U.S. unit. Falcon Strike is designed from the start as a coalition force, and it spans air, surface and subsurface systems. Bahrain's commitment is the first sign that the multinational part of that description is more than aspiration.
The announcement also shows how quickly the concept is moving. Janes and Army Times describe Scorpion Strike's operational use against Iranian targets and port facilities within months of its creation. A coalition version is now recruiting partners less than two months after its own announcement.
Several questions remain open. CENTCOM has not said which other countries are participating, how partner-operated systems will be commanded, or what role regional partners will play beyond "management" support. Bahrain's contribution is unspecified, and the Bahrain News Agency did not say what the Joint Military Committee agreed. Until CENTCOM or Gulf governments fill in those details, Falcon Strike is a declared framework with one named participant.
