Everett Bledsoe: The US military empire. How many US military bases are there in the world?

Aug 23, 2022
A map of the world shaded to show where the US has bases
Image: wikimedoa commons - updated June 2022

The Pentagon does not know how many bases it has around the world so it relies on academics to tell it. The US bases are gated communities which replicate US suburbs, shops and amenities to the exclusion of local people.

There are roughly 750 US foreign military bases; they are spread across 80 nations!( It doesn’t include Pine Gap or Darwin!)

The United States is one of the top 5 countries with the largest and most equipped armed forces in the world. So, it is not too much of a surprise that there are many U.S overseas military bases. But, exactly how many U.S military bases are there in the world? Today’s article on how many U.S military bases are there in the world will set out to explore the U.S military bases around the world. Do you want to join us? Let’s go!

United States Military Bases Worldwide

There are roughly 750 US foreign military bases; they are spread across 80 nations! After the U.S is the UK, but they only have 145 bases. Russia has about 3 dozen bases, and China just five. This implies that the U.S has three times as many bases as all other countries combined. Quite astonishing if you ask us.

For your reference, our globe has a total of 195 countries.

The U.S has 11 combatant commands (under the Pentagon headquarters):

  • Africa Command
  • Central Command
  • Cyber Command
  • European Command
  • Indo-Pacific Command
  • Northern Command
  • Southern Command
  • Space Command
  • Special Operations Command
  • Strategic Command
  • Transportation Command

The first combatant command (Africa Command) protects and defends the nation’s interests in African nations; the Central Command focuses on the Middle East; the European Command on Europe, Eurasia, and parts of the Middle East; and finally, Indo-Pacific Command, Southern and Northern Command on the territories specified in their names.

  • The Central Command is estimated to have 45,000 to 65,000 troops across the Gulf
  • The European Command is estimated to have about 33,000 troops in Germany
  • The Indo-Pacific Command is estimated to have 50,000 to 55,000 troops in Japan
  • And some 26,000 troops in South Korea

However, the specific number of troops deployed overseas are not publicly disclosed.

Some Countries With U.S Military Bases

Here is a detailed list of the countries with U.S bases (as updated until 2017 on Wikipedia):

U.S Army

  • Belgium
  • Bosnia – Herzegovina
  • Bulgaria
  • Cameroon
  • Germany
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Iraq
  • Japan
  • Kuwait
  • South Korea

U.S Air Force

  • Aruba
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • Curacao
  • Estonia
  • Germany
  • Honduras
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Kenya
  • Kuwait
  • Netherlands
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Qatar
  • Romania
  • South Korea
  • Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri & Dhekelia
  • Spain
  • Turkey
  • United Kingdom

U.S Marine Corps

  • Germany
  • Japan
  • South Korea

U.S Navy

  • Bahamas
  • Bahrain
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • Cuba
  • Djibouti
  • Greece
  • Iceland
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Kuwait
  • Oman
  • Peru
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • The United Arab Emirates
  • The United Kingdom

U.S Coast Guard

  • Bahrain
  • Japan
  • The Netherlands
  • Singapore

U.S Space Force

  • Greenland

So, as you can see from the list that we have curated, the U.S Air Force has the most number of bases outside of the U.S, followed by the U.S Navy, and the U.S Army bases around the world.

Names of U.S Military Bases

And here’s a list of the names of bases we were able to gather:

U.S Army

Europe

  • USAG Benelux Brussels (Belgium)
  • U.S Army Garrison Benelux (Benelux, Belgium)
  • U.S Bavaria Hohenfels (Hohenfels, Germany)
  • U.S Army Garrison Ansbach (Ansbach, Germany)
  • U.S Army Garrison Stuttgart (Stuttgart, Germany)
  • U.S Army Garrison Bamberg (Bamberg, Germany)
  • U.S Army Garrison Garmisch (Garmisch, Germany)
  • U.S Army Garrison Wiesbaden (Wiesbaden, Germany)
  • USAG Bavaria Grafenwoehr (Grafenwoehr, Germany)
  • USAG Rheinland-Pfalz Kaiserslautern (Kaiserslautern, Germany)
  • USAG Rheinland-Pfalx, Baulholder (Aulenbacher Str. Baumholder Germany)
  • U.S Army Garrison Livorno (Tirrenia, Italy)
  • U.S Army Garrison Vicenza (Vicenza, Italy)
  • U.S Army Garrison Schinnen (Schinnen, Netherlands)
  • Camp Bondsteel (Kosovo)

Asia

  • U.S Army Garrison Humphreys (Republic of Korea)
  • U.S Army Garrison Casey (Republic of Korea)
  • USAG Red Cloud/Casey (Republic of Korea)
  • USAG Yongsan (Republic of Korea)
  • K-16 Air Base (Republic of Korea)
  • USAG Daegu (Republic of Korea)
  • Torii Station (Japan)
  • Camp Zama (Japan)

U.S Air Force

Europe

  • Ankara (Turkey)
  • Incirlik Air Base (Turkey)
  • Izmir Air Station (Turkey)
  • Aviano Air Base (Aviano, Italy)
  • Kleine Brogel Air Base (Belgium)
  • Ramstein AB (Ramstein, Germany)
  • Spangdahlem AB (Spangdahlem, Germany)
  • Geilenkirchen Nato Air Base (Neuteveren, Germany)
  • Moron Ab (Moron de la Frontera, Spain)
  • Raf Fairford (UK)
  • Raf Alconbury (UK)
  • Raf Mildenhall (UK)
  • Raf Croughton (UK)
  • Raf Lakenheath (UK)
  • Raf Menwith Hill (Harrogate, UK)

Asia

  • Misawa (Japan)
  • Yokota Air Base (Japan)
  • Kadena Air Base (Okinawa City, Japan)
  • Kunsan Air Base (Republic of Korea)
  • Osan Air Base (Republic of Korea)

Oceania

  • Canberra (Yarralumla, Australia)

U.S Marine Corps

Asia

  • Camp Fuji (Japan)
  • Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni (Japan)
  • Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler (Japan)

U.S Navy

Europe

  • Naval Support Activity Souda Bay (Greece)
  • Naval Air Station Sigonella (Sigonella, Italy)
  • Naval Support Activity Naples (Gricignano di Aversa, Italy)
  • Naval Support Activity Naples Department Geta (Gaeta, Italy)
  • Naval Station Rota (Rota, Spain)
  • Naval Support Activity (Bahrain)
  • Naval Support Facility (Diego Garcia)

Asia

  • Commander Fleet Activities Sasebo (Japan)
  • Fleet Activities Okinawa (Japan)
  • Fleet Activities Yokosuka (Japan)
  • Navy Region Singapore (Singapore)
  • Fleet Activities Chinhae (Republic of Korea)

U.S Coast Guard

  • Far East Activity (Japan)

That being said, you may wonder why the U.S military has so many bases overseas. The section below will attempt to answer this.

Why Does the U.S Have So Many Military Bases?

Each base has its own purpose. Usually, they are for a specific security goal or regional stability overall. Some are also to support allies in the event of a conflict. The primary bases can be traced back to stabilisation efforts right after the Second World War. On the whole. These U.S foreign bases contribute to nations’ relationships. The host countries typically receive support in terms of financial and/or relationship (mostly a combination of both).

Remember, U.S military bases in foreign soil can only be set up by mutual agreement

Are There Foreign Bases in the United States?

While there are many (countless!) U.S bases in other nations, there are no full-scale foreign bases on American soil. There aren’t any “published” reasons as to why. But most people believe that it is because the U.S (1) does not need help defending itself and (2) is not a strategic chokepoint.

Before you leave, check out this interactive map of U.S military bases around the world that you can navigate by yourself for more detailed information.

Conclusion

And that’s the end of our article on “How many U.S military bases are there in the world?” You should now have all the information you need on this topic. Hopefully, you enjoyed reading this. Please share your thoughts in the comments below! If you have any other questions, leave them in the comments as well. Also, we would really appreciate it if you would forward this article to other readers, such as your friends and family!

I am Everett Bledsoe, taking on the responsibility of content producer for The Soldiers Project. My purpose in this project is to give honest reviews on the gear utilised and tested over time. Of course, you cannot go wrong when checking out our package of information and guide, too, as they come from reliable sources and years of experience.

Re published from The soldiers project on June 2, 2022

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