As ExxonMobil cuts expat premiums, benefits and career opportunities the U.S. embassies and military are evacuating dependents from locations across the Middle East, a major move as tensions spike across the region.
A U.S. defense official told Fox News on Wednesday: "The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the CENTCOM AOR."
The authorization affects U.S. bases throughout the CENTCOM area of responsibility, which includes key flashpoints like Iraq, Syria, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
No reason to accept an assignment in Qatar or UAE anymore. UAE is squeezing every penny out of us expats who can’t even afford to stay in our housing for more than a year at a time as our allowance keeps getting cut while rent prices rise. Su-ks to have to move mid assignment further and further away from the office to cheaper locations without any company assistance for the move cost and hassle or even time off to pack, move and unpack.
No future for ExxonMobil in Qatar. Qatar has shown they no longer value ExxonMobil as a partner. The Qatar office headcount continues to drop and will be at a skeleton crew by 2030 per company plan. Look at the announcements page for how many people not on projects are leaving the Qatar office and not being backfilled.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hegseth-authorizes-voluntary-departure-military-dependents-from-across-middle-east-amid-rising-tensions