Bahrain's importance to the United States as a regional ally in the Middle East is inversely proportional to the kingdom's size. The country has a population of just over 1 million and is strategically located in the Persian Gulf. The United States has maintained a naval base in Bahrain since 1947, and the U.S. 5th fleet has been stationed there since 1995, along with numerous other U.S. naval forces. The United States has used facilities in Bahrain while conducting numerous operations, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan. Indeed, the U.S. relationship with Bahrain is in some respects as close as Washington's relationship with its NATO allies: In October 2001, then-U.S. President George W. Bush decided that Bahrain was entitled to purchase the same military equipment as NATO members. The relationship is just as important for Bahrain, if not more so.