US Troop Deployments
The United States stations 173,000 service members across 80 countries — a permanent global military presence with no parallel in human history. No other nation has troops in more than a handful of foreign countries. America has them in 80.
173,000
Overseas Troops
750
Military Bases
80
Countries
$55B/yr
Annual Cost
“Our military forces are committed around the world... in approximately 750 base sites in 80 foreign countries and colonies. We are the new Rome.”
— Chalmers Johnson, The Sorrows of Empire, 2004
Troops by Country
💡 Did You Know?
- • Japan hosts 120 US military bases — more than any other country. 70% are crammed onto the island of Okinawa, which is just 0.6% of Japan's land area. Okinawans have protested for decades.
- • Germany still hosts 119 US bases — 80 years after WWII ended. American troops have been in Germany longer than most Germans have been alive.
- • No other country on earth has military bases in 80 countries. Russia has ~15. China has 1. France has ~10. The UK has ~16.
- • The US spends $55B per year just maintaining overseas bases — more than the entire budget of the EPA, NASA, and the Department of Education combined.
- • US troops have been in South Korea since 1953 — the Korean War never officially ended.
Deployment Details
Japan
Since 1945 · 80 years · 120 bases
53,713 troops
$5.7B/yr
70% of bases on Okinawa. Locals regularly protest.
⚠️ US troops have been here for 80 years. The original conflict ended long ago.
Germany
Since 1945 · 80 years · 119 bases
33,948 troops
$3.6B/yr
80 years after WWII ended.
⚠️ US troops have been here for 80 years. The original conflict ended long ago.
South Korea
Since 1953 · 72 years · 73 bases
28,500 troops
$3.4B/yr
70+ years after Korean War armistice.
⚠️ US troops have been here for 72 years. The original conflict ended long ago.
Italy
Since 1945 · 80 years · 44 bases
12,313 troops
$1.5B/yr
Key staging area for Africa/Middle East operations.
⚠️ US troops have been here for 80 years. The original conflict ended long ago.
United Kingdom
Since 1942 · 83 years · 25 bases
9,397 troops
$1.2B/yr
Includes RAF Lakenheath nuclear weapons storage.
⚠️ US troops have been here for 83 years. The original conflict ended long ago.
Bahrain
Since 1971 · 54 years · 1 base
7,300 troops
$800M/yr
US Fifth Fleet HQ. Naval Support Activity Bahrain.
⚠️ US troops have been here for 54 years. The original conflict ended long ago.
Spain
Since 1953 · 72 years · 4 bases
3,300 troops
$400M/yr
Rota naval base and Morón Air Base.
⚠️ US troops have been here for 72 years. The original conflict ended long ago.
Turkey
Since 1943 · 82 years · 5 bases
2,600 troops
$300M/yr
Incirlik Air Base houses ~50 US nuclear weapons.
⚠️ US troops have been here for 82 years. The original conflict ended long ago.
Australia
Since 2011 · 14 years · 7 bases
2,000 troops
$300M/yr
AUKUS partnership. Expanding presence.
Kuwait
Since 1991 · 34 years · 7 bases
13,500 troops
$1.2B/yr
Permanent presence since Gulf War.
Qatar
Since 1992 · 33 years · 1 base
10,000 troops
$800M/yr
Al Udeid Air Base — CENTCOM forward HQ.
Djibouti
Since 2002 · 23 years · 1 base
4,000 troops
$400M/yr
Camp Lemonnier — only permanent US base in Africa.
Honduras
Since 1983 · 42 years · 1 base
500 troops
$100M/yr
Soto Cano Air Base.
Cuba
Since 1903 · 122 years · 1 base
800 troops
$200M/yr
Guantánamo Bay — 120+ years on Cuban soil against their will.
⚠️ US troops have been here for 122 years. The original conflict ended long ago.
Poland
Since 2022 · 3 years · 4 bases
4,700 troops
$500M/yr
Rapidly expanding since Russia-Ukraine war.
No Empire Compares
At the height of the British Empire — the largest in history — Britain maintained military garrisons in about 36 countries. The Roman Empire at its peak had legions across roughly 25 regions. The Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War had bases in about 10 countries.
The United States today has troops in 80 countries and military installations in most of them. This is not a temporary wartime presence. It's a permanent infrastructure of global military dominance — maintained for decades after the conflicts that created it.
The question is not whether America needs a strong defense. It's whether it needs soldiers stationed in countries where the original threat disappeared generations ago.