To date, there is information that the US military bases are represented by a number that has exceeded one thousand. But this version is not official. The Pentagon itself recognizes a little over seven hundred military bases.
In fact, the presence of such military organizations around the world makes the United States a global empire that does not capture the entire state, but simply places its bases there, thereby establishing control over the country. In simple words, the result is a "lite" version of colonialism.
The history of the emergence of American military bases
The appearance of the very first military bases dates back to the end of the 19th century, namely to 1898. After Spain was defeated in the US-Spanish war, the States gained control of the seaport in the Philippines. This is Subic Bay, which, thanks to its good location, allows you to control the movement of Chinese ships.
Control over the Caribbean Sea was provided by US military bases located in Guantanamo, as well as in Puerto Rico.
During World War II, the United States gained the right to deploy its bases on the territory of the member states of the anti-Hitler coalition, as well as use their ports. The very first countries that "let in" America to themselves were England and France. However, after the war ended, the Americans did not stop their activities, but, on the contrary, began to appear new bases in Belgium, Iceland and other European states. Subsequently, US military bases appeared in Germany, Italy, Japan and the South Korean peninsula. The reason was the beginning of the Cold War. As a pretext, the Americans began to use the confrontation with the socialist camp. The USA guaranteed protection against the penetration of the communist system into European countries, as well as to avoid the appearance of revenge-seeking sentiments on the part of the losers of Germany and Japan.
In European countries alone, the spread of US military bases did not end. Later they began to appear in the Middle Eastern countries. The goal was to ensure the security of oil transit, as well as deter Iran and Iraq as aggressive states.
Large military bases
Today, there is a classification that divides all US military bases into three categories.
Large bases are located in Japan, Great Britain, Honduras and Qatar, Germany and on the island of Guam. Their characteristic feature is that large quantities of equipment, raw materials and weapons are located there, and a certain number of military contingents are also present. Moreover, there is the opportunity to place, house a lot of military personnel arriving at the base if necessary.
It should be noted the US military bases in Japan, the presence of which plays a key role in controlling the territory of Southeast Asia. They were placed after the conclusion of the agreements of 1951-1952, according to which the United States guaranteed the protection of the Land of the Rising Sun from anyone else's encroachments. In reality, these bases pursued a different goal - the Japanese state was involved in the confrontation with the Soviet Union and Asian socialist regimes, and was used as a springboard for the fight against communism.
Today, US military bases are still located in these territories. In Japan, the number of such almost reaches hundreds - only 94 bases. The number of military contingent is about 50 thousand people. The official purpose of the presence is to maintain a stable peace, and in fact - control over the territory.
Operational bases
This kind of military bases differs from large ones in that a much smaller number of resources are concentrated in them. Their functional activities are also limited, and the main purpose of the operational bases is tactical. Examples include military bases in Australia, Bulgaria, Kuwait, or in South Korea. The mission of the Americans on the South Korean peninsula is explained by the protection of the territory from military encroachment on the part of its northern neighbor - the DPRK.
American military bases of the third category
Structures, which are analytical centers, individual aerodromes or communication centers, can also be classified as military bases. They are mobile, zones of military clashes may become their location in order to be able to deliver a targeted strike at the enemy. The creation of such small bases is currently a priority area of US military policy. An example is the technology for creating floating islands. These structures are platforms located on the surface of the water, and can serve as an airfield for military aircraft, and act as a transport vessel.
Geographic location
US military bases are the largest in the world and make up 95% of all bases combined. The remaining share belongs to England, France and other countries.
It is traditionally believed that the place of deployment of US military bases is Western Europe. For example, in Germany there are more than two hundred of them, and the contingent of military personnel consists of 250 thousand people. However, after the collapse of the USSR, the Americans slightly weakened their activities in this region in connection with the neutralization of the Soviet threat.
Of particular importance to America are military bases located in Southeast Asia and the territory of the Middle East. In second place after Germany in terms of US military presence is Japan.
Turkey has a very favorable geostrategic position, one part of which is located on the European part of the continent, and the other in Asia. In this regard, Turkey is of particular interest to the United States. This state is a member of NATO, which means that there are US military bases in Turkey. For example, Incirlik base - since 2014, the United States has been deploying unmanned aerial vehicles there in order to strike at terrorists, the Islamic state.
In fact, in one way or another, but the US base is represented in almost all corners of the planet.
The geopolitical location of US military bases
All states where the United States has deployed its military bases can be divided into several categories. The criterion is the political relations of countries.
- Allied countries, friendly states. An example is the UK.
- States that lost the war, which were subsequently restored under US leadership. An example is Germany, Japan.
- Countries freed from the enemy with the help of the US military. An example is South Korea.
- Areas of military conflict in which the United States participated, or are conducting actions aimed at resolving the post-conflict situation. An example is Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo.
- Zones of economic interest. These are countries with energy potential. An example is the former Central Asian republics of the Soviet Union, Central-East Asia.
Varieties of troops
US military bases are equipped with various types of troops. This is the Air Force, represented by 27 bases in 15 countries. The US Navy is represented in nine states in the amount of 15 bases. Ground forces are located in eight countries of the world, and their total number is quite large - 82 military bases. The Marine Corps is deployed in seven countries, the largest of them are in Japan and Iraq. There are 26 marines in total.
The indicated number of military units counts only those bases that are located outside the United States.
US military bases and Russia
If we talk about the territory of the former USSR, then the first military base appeared in 2001 in Uzbekistan (Khanabad), later the Americans settled in Kyrgyzstan (Manas). However, in Manas, the military base today is redesigned into a transit center.
US military bases in Russia are the subject of many political disputes. Not so long ago, the focus was on discussing the possible creation of an American base near Ulyanovsk. It was assumed that the Americans would deliver medicines and other non-military supplies through the Vostochny airfield to Iraq and Afghanistan. However, subsequently, representatives of NATO decided that it would be more profitable to transport goods through Pakistan.