United States military deployments

The military of the United States is deployed in most countries around the world, with more than 160,000 of its active-duty personnel stationed outside the United States and its territories.^[1] This list consists of deployments excepting active combat deployments, including troops in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia.^[2]

Outside of active combat, US personnel are typically deployed as part of several peacekeeping and classified missions, military attachés, or are part of embassy and consulate security.

Rationale

Statements by U.S. military and government

A longstanding justification for maintaining military installations worldwide for the United States is that a military presence abroad by the U.S. promotes and strengthens democracy.^[3]

Statements by others

According to Hermann and Kegley, military interventions have boosted democracy in other nations.^[4] The majority of academics, however, concur with professor of international politics Abraham Lowenthal that American efforts to spread democracy have been "negligible, often counterproductive, and only occasionally positive."^[4][5][6]

JoAnn Chirico believes that, as of 2014, the U.S. military presence and installations are often considered responsible for suppressing democracy in countries such as Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Niger, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates.^[3]

In her 1979 essay, "Dictatorships and Double Standards", Jeane Kirkpatrick argued that although the United States should encourage democracy, it should be understood that premature reforms may cause a backlash that could give the Communists an opportunity to take over. For this reason, she considered it legitimate to support non-communist dictatorships, adding that a successful and sustainable democratic process is likely to be a long-term process in many cases in the Third World. The essence of the so-called Kirkpatrick Doctrine is the use of selective methods to advance democracy in order to contain the wave of communism.^[7]

Current deployments

The following regional tables provide detail of where personnel from six branches of the US military are currently deployed. These numbers do not include any military or civilian contractors or their dependents. Additionally, countries in which US military are engaged in active combat operations are not included. The numbers are based on the most recent United States Department of Defense statistics as of June 30, 2024.^[1]

Americas

Jurisdiction	Total	Army	Navy	USAF	USMC	USCG	USSF
United States (excl. Alaska & Hawaii)	1,064,767	365,195	277,225	243,655	134,657	35,226	8,809
Alaska	20,357	10,085	36	8,368	11	1,846	11
Puerto Rico	640	–	39	25	13	562	1
Guantanamo Bay	578	135	412	–	25	6	–
Honduras	331	200	2	120	8	1	–
Canada	151	26	38	66	14	4	3
Greenland	143	–	–	117	–	–	26
other	700	144	143	72	277	61	3
Total	1,087,667	375,785	277,895	252,423	135,005	37,706	8,853

East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Pacific Ocean

Jurisdiction	Total	Army	Navy	USAF	USMC	USCG	USSF
Japan	52,603	2,319	21,545	12,184	16,431	21	103
Hawaii	43,844	18,115	12,273	5,364	6,435	1,497	160
South Korea	23,291	14,592	348	8,113	159	1	78
Guam	6,725	–	3,941	2,317	146	320	1
Australia	322	54	79	158	24	2	5
Singapore	227	17	167	21	12	10	–
other	439	128	52	65	181	13	–
Total	127,451	35,225	38,405	28,222	23,388	1,864	347

Europe

US military bases in Germany in 2014

Jurisdiction	Total	Army	Navy	USAF	USMC	USCG	USSF
Germany	34,949	21,338	393	12,607	410	10	191
Italy	12,456	4,078	3,472	4,822	62	1	21
United Kingdom	10,063	216	273	9,452	52	14	56
Spain	3,586	28	3,129	397	31	1	–
Belgium	1,032	532	85	378	34	–	3
Netherlands	415	118	30	223	13	30	1
Greece	398	13	351	27	7	–	–
Poland	312	176	94	32	10	–	–
Portugal	230	5	45	163	16	1	–
Romania	145	27	99	10	9	–	–
other	636	144	68	172	246	5	1
Total	64,222	26,675	8,039	28,283	890	62	273

West Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Africa, and Indian Ocean

Jurisdiction	Total	Army	Navy	USAF	USMC	USCG	USSF
Bahrain	3,440	21	2,842	17	219	341	–
Turkey	1,696	128	6	1,533	29	–	–
Kuwait	523	495	3	15	10	–	–
Saudi Arabia	277	170	13	69	25	–	–
Qatar	223	90	6	101	8	–	18
Diego Garcia	217	–	217	–	–	–	–
Egypt	166	120	8	19	19	–	–
United Arab Emirates	131	27	20	33	51	–	–
other	1,180	341	91	118	630	–	–
Total	7,853	1,392	3,206	1,905	991	341	18

Unspecified

Jurisdiction	Total	Army	Navy	USAF	USMC	USCG	USSF
Overseas (incl. unincorporated US territories)	13,795	4,317	12	1,173	8,253	4	36

See also

• List of notable deployments of U.S. military forces overseas since 1798
• List of United States overseas military bases
• List of United States military bases
• Marine Security Guard
• Military Assistance Advisory Group
• Military Assistance Command, Vietnam
• United States Taiwan Defense Command
• Status of forces agreement
• United States foreign aid
• United States militarism