24/7 Wall St. Insights

• We used data from unclassified military personnel data from the Department of Defense Personnel, Workforce Reports & Publications
• About nine out of 10 of these US uniformed service members are located at these 15 base
• Also, 2 Dividend Legends To Hold Forever

US troops are stationed overseas for many different reasons, varying from the necessity to protect US forces and other citizens in the region to help strengthen a military detergent across the region against different actors. Strategic placement of troops has aided in the recent Middle East conflicts, giving our troops the ability to prevent the conflict escalation in Gaza and to coordinate critical military assistance to Israel.

During World War I, World War II, and the Cold War,  the military and intelligence capabilities of the United States were under severe stress. In modern times, with conflict and/or challenges from Russia, Ukraine, China, Korea, and the Middle East, the US has to be able to react efficiently to threats.

Nowadays, America maintains military bases worldwide, giving them the ability to strike anywhere in the world very quickly. As of July 2021, the United States had more than 750 military bases, with more than 173,000 troops in 80 countries around the world. The US has the economic power to maintain all these bases and accounts for 40% of all defense spending worldwide.

The country with the most US military bases is Japan, with 120 active bases. This is compared to Germany, which has 119, and South Korea with 73. They also have bases in the Middle East, with the largest installation being the Al Udeid Air Base, located west of Doha, Qatar.

To determine the 15 countries where America has the most soldiers, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed unclassified military personnel data from the Department of Defense Personnel, Workforce Reports & Publications, using data from Sept. 30, 2022 — the most recent fully updated report. The number of military sites came from the Base Structure Report FY22 published by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment with a snapshot as of Sept. 30, 2021.

About nine out of 10 of these US uniformed service members are located at these 15 bases, with nearly 75% located in Japan, Germany, South Korea, and Italy.

Why Is This Important?

A third of the 15 countries where America has the most active-duty personnel are in EU member states, not including one in the UK. Four of the 15 are located in the Middle East, including Turkey, and three are in the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia. The other two countries with the most active-duty troops are located in Djibouti and Cuba. Not included on the list, the US also maintains bases in its Pacific territories, such as Guam. 

These are the countries where the US stations most of its military personnel abroad.  

15. Qatar

• Number of active-duty US troops: 397
• Number of US military sites: 2 – #27 most

14. Netherlands

• Number of active-duty US troops: 434
• Number of US military sites: 6 – #19 most

13. Djibouti

• Number of active-duty US troops: 509
• Number of US military sites: 1 – #30 most

12. Cuba

• Number of active-duty US troops: 596
• Number of US military sites: 1 – #30 most

11. Kuwait

• Number of active-duty US troops: 714
• Number of US military sites: 7 – #17 most

10. Belgium

• Number of active-duty US troops: 1,143
• Number of US military sites: 11 – #12 most

9. Australia

• Number of active-duty US troops: 1,580
• Number of US military sites: 9 – #15 most

8. Turkey

• Number of active-duty US troops: 1,735
• Number of US military sites: 12 – #10 most

7. Spain

• Number of active-duty US troops: 3,164
• Number of US military sites: 4 – #22 most

6. Bahrain

• Number of active-duty US troops: 3,698
• Number of US military sites: 12 – #10 most

5. United Kingdom

• Number of active-duty US troops: 9,840
• Number of US military sites: 23 – #7 most

4. Italy

• Number of active-duty US troops: 12,432
• Number of US military sites: 49 – #6 most

3. South Korea

• Number of active-duty US troops: 25,372
• Number of US military sites: 79 – #4 most

2. Germany

• Number of active-duty US troops: 35,781
• Number of US military sites: 123 – #1 most

1. Japan

• Number of active-duty US troops: 53,973
• Number of US military sites: 113 – #2 most

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