The Pentagon is asking Congress to lift decades-old restrictions on Bahrain's inventory of Raytheon-built Stinger missiles as part of the Defense Department's legislative proposals tied to the fiscal year 2027 defense policy and spending bills.

The proposal, sent to Congress May 11 as part of a fourth package of changes in law DOD seeks, would allow the United States to expand Bahrain’s stockpile of Stinger missiles beyond limits imposed in 1989, which currently permit only one-for-one replacement of missiles that have been fired or destroyed.

Defense officials argue the regional threat environment has changed substantially since the restrictions were enacted more than three decades ago.

In supporting documents, the Pentagon points to the growing proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles and increasing instability in the Middle East as key factors driving the need for additional air defense capacity in Bahrain.

The department argues the kingdom can no longer adequately defend itself against current threats with the same number of missiles it possessed in 1989.