United States military deployments explained

The military of the United States is deployed in most countries around the world, with approximately 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.

Statements by others

According to Hermann and Kegley, military interventions have boosted democracy in other nations.^[3] 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."^{[3] [4] [5]}

JoAnn Chirico believes that 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.

In her 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.

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 (	1,062,976	364,198	273,546	243,497	137,903	35,130	8,702
	20,618	10,234	41	8,567	8	1,755	13
	631	–	37	22	10	562	–
	572	122	417	–	27	6	–
	335	205	2	119	8	1	–
	156	29	36	69	15	4	3
	139	–	–	110	–	–	29
other	695	140	143	72	278	59	3
Total	1,086,122	374,928	274,222	252,456	138,249	37,517	8,750

East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Pacific Ocean

Jurisdiction	Total	Army	Navy	USAF	USMC	USCG	USSF
	52,852	2,319	22,060	12,356	16,009	19	89
	44,747	18,445	12,709	5,428	6,540	1,467	158
	23,732	15,042	339	8,117	158	1	75
	6,453	–	3,785	2,284	88	295	1
	300	48	79	141	23	2	7
	221	16	163	23	11	8	–
	108	33	9	26	39	1	–
other	338	96	47	40	145	10	–
Total	128,751	35,999	39,191	28,415	23,013	1,803	330

Europe

Jurisdiction	Total	Army	Navy	USAF	USMC	USCG	USSF
	34,894	21,049	381	12,892	399	11	162
	12,319	4,016	3,454	4,764	58	1	26
	10,180	217	284	9,559	51	14	55
	3,253	30	2,783	406	33	1	–
	1,119	611	88	384	34	–	2
	405	115	26	215	13	34	2
	393	13	349	25	6	–	–
	281	143	96	32	10	–	–
	254	6	51	179	17	1	–
	140	24	96	12	8	–	–
other	648	159	67	177	238	6	1
Total	63,886	26,383	7,675	28,645	867	68	248

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

Jurisdiction	Total	Army	Navy	USAF	USMC	USCG	USSF
	3,424	24	2,833	21	209	337	–
	1,683	121	7	1,525	30	–	–
	500	468	3	21	8	–	–
	270	167	15	65	23	–	–
Diego Garcia	234	–	234	–	–	–	–
	214	76	6	110	7	–	15
	151	107	7	17	20	–	–
	131	25	19	35	52	–	–
	118	67	10	13	28	–	–
	98	68	4	13	13	–	–
other	994	209	76	107	601	1	–
Total	7,817	1,332	3,214	1,927	991	338	15

Unspecified

Jurisdiction	Total	Army	Navy	USAF	USMC	USCG	USSF
Overseas	7,612	1,482	12	1,174	4,912	4	28
Domestic	3	3	–	–	–	–	–
Total	7,615	1,485	12	1,174	4,912	4	28

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

References

• Book: Chirico . JoAnn . Globalization: Prospects and Problems . 2014 . SAGE Publication Ltd. . 71 . 9781483315447 .
• Book: Wright . Steven . The United States and Persian Gulf Security . 2007 . Ithaca Press . 978-0-86372-321-6.

Further reading

• News: America's Forever wars . New York Times . 23 October 2017 . subscription.
• Web site: Machain. Carla Martinez. Allen. Michael A.. Flynn. Michael E.. Why does the US pay so much for the defense of its allies? 5 questions answered. 2021-07-28. The Conversation. 2 December 2019.
• Allen. Michael A. Flynn. Michael E. Martinez Machain. Carla. 2021. US global military deployments, 1950–2020*. Conflict Management and Peace Science. 39. 3. 351–370. en. 10.1177/07388942211030885. 237722626. 0738-8942.
• Base Structure Report – Fiscal Year 2023 Baseline. U.S. Department of Defense. XLS.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Number of Military and DoD Appropriated Fund (APF) Civilian Personnel By Assigned Duty Location and Service/Component (as of June 30, 2024) . . August 13, 2024.
2. Web site: Letter to the Speaker of the House and President Pro Tempore of the Senate regarding the War Powers Report . December 7, 2023 . whitehouse.gov.
3. Margaret G. . Hermann. Margaret Hermann . 1998 . The U.S. Use of Military Intervention to Promote Democracy: Evaluating the Record . International Interactions . 24 . 2 . 91–114 . 10.1080/03050629808434922 . Kegley . Charles.
4. Book: Lowenthal, Abraham. The United States and Latin American Democracy: Learning from History. 1991. Johns Hopkins University Press. 243–65. Baltimore.
5. Book: Peceny, Mark. 1999. Democracy at the Point of Bayonets. limited. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press. 183. 0-271-01883-6.