Shamus Khan brought my attention to an interesting image posted at La Course vers la Maison-Blanche, a French-language blog about U.S. politics. The image (in English) shows where U.S. troops are stationed around the world, at bases that vary widely in size and permanence.
Not surprisingly, with the U.S. engaged in two wars (until the official announced end of U.S. involvement in Iraq at the end of 2011), during the 2000s the percent of all U.S. troops stationed in other countries has been at its highest levels since the end of the Vietnam War (though we also see an uptick in 1990, corresponding with the Gulf War against Iraq, and then a significant reduction during the ’90s):
Total number of troops stationed in other countries:
So where are these troops? Scattered on every continent except Antarctica, with concentrations in Europe, South Korea and Japan, and the Middle East,though the map in Iraq would presumably look different now):
Enlargeable image available here, with detailed descriptions of the U.S. military presence in various countries.
Comments 7
LarryW — January 2, 2012
Many of these countries, especially in Europe and the Far East (Japan and S. Korea) appreciate the money that our military presence pumps into their economies. However, I agree with Ron Paul that it is past time to bring our troops home from overseas and to end the Afghan War
April — January 3, 2012
Something these images don't show very well, is that it isn't just troops, but often their families as well. My dad was in the US Navy, and we lived on an American military base in Iceland from 1989 to 1991. There were enough families to have k-6 and 7-12 schools, an intramural sports league, a youth center, a library, several restaurants... Most kids of long-term military personnel get to live overseas at some point, sometimes more than once.
Anonymous — January 3, 2012
There are troops on Antarctica, too!
Humble People Are More Helpful; Don’t Mix Alcohol and Online Shopping; And More Stories « Welcome to the Doctor's Office — January 3, 2012
[...] U.S. TROOPS STATIONED OVERSEAS by Gwen Sharp [...]
upgrade01a — September 1, 2012
This is all very costly to the American taxpayer. The purpose of the government is supposed to be to defend its citizens and protect individual liberties. We need a strong defence at home. The governments of other countries need to defend themselves - especially the wealthy countries like Germany and Japan. Bring the troops home! No more undeclared wars! This amounts to corporate welfare for the military industrial complex.
Taiwan – The Defining National Security Issue of the Post Pax Americana Era – Mark McGuire's International Relations Blog — December 21, 2022
[…] looking at the United States’ historical troop presence abroad during the Cold War as well as its current force posture, and relating these to the missions the US […]