The U.S. military maintains over 750 bases across 80 countries globally. The vast majority of these can be found within the contiguous United States, with Europe hosting the next most, followed by Southeast Asia, notably including Camp Humphreys in South Korea. While Camp Humphreys, which opened in 1950, is the largest American military base abroad, it is far from the oldest.
To determine the oldest U.S. active military bases that are overseas, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the study, U.S. Military Bases Abroad, 1776-2021 by David Vine, professor at the department of anthropology at American University. We ranked the bases according to the year they opened, listing the 23 bases founded by 1943 at the latest. Data on the number of active-duty personnel and bases within each country as well as estimated land acreage of each base came from the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a military think-tank.
Out of the 23 bases on the list, 13 are located in Puerto Rico, operated by the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Not surprising given the important strategic position Puerto Rico holds between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The first of these was constructed in 1902. (Also see, the six European bases where the U.S. is storing nuclear bombs.)
Puerto Rico was one of the territories the United States received in the wake of its victory over Spain in the Spanish-American War in 1898. Cuba, which gained independence from Spain following that war, agreed to lease Guantánamo Bay to the U.S. Navy on its southeastern shore in 1903. Other possessions the U.S. secured from Spain in the Pacific – Guam and Wake Island – have military bases.
Elsewhere, four of the oldest U.S. overseas bases are in the United Kingdom, established there just after America entered the war in 1941. That same year, the U.S. began leasing from Denmark the Thule Air Base in Greenland, which at more than 233,000 acres, is by far the largest overseas military base by physical size. (This is the largest military base in each state.)
Click here to see the oldest international military bases.
23. RAF Welford Ammo Storage Area, United Kingdom
> Opening year: 1943
> Location: Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
> Active duty personnel in country: 10,770
> US bases in country: 25 — #7 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 736 acres
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22. RAF Feltwell, United Kingdom
> Opening year: 1942
> Location: Thetford, United Kingdom
> Active duty personnel in country: 10,770
> US bases in country: 25 — #7 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 305 acres
24/7 Wall St.
21. RAF Molesworth, United Kingdom
> Opening year: 1942
> Location: Molesworth, United Kingdom
> Active duty personnel in country: 10,770
> US bases in country: 25 — #7 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 696 acres
20. RAF Alconbury, United Kingdom
> Opening year: 1942
> Location: Great Stukeley, United Kingdom
> Active duty personnel in country: 10,770
> US bases in country: 25 — #7 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 218 acres
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19. Cabeza De Perro, Puerto Rico
> Opening year: 1942
> Location: Ceiba, Puerto Rico
> Active duty personnel in country: 13,571
> US bases in country: 34 — #6 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 29 acres
18. Wake Island Airfield, Wake Island
> Opening year: 1941
> Location: Wake Island
> Active duty personnel in country: 2,600
> US bases in country: 1 — #50 most out of 80 (tied)
> Land estimated acreage: 5 acres
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17. Vieques West, Puerto Rico
> Opening year: 1941
> Location: Vieques, Puerto Rico
> Active duty personnel in country: 13,571
> US bases in country: 34 — #6 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 275 acres
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16. Mount Pirata, Puerto Rico
> Opening year: 1941
> Location: Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
> Active duty personnel in country: 13,571
> US bases in country: 34 — #6 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 59 acres
15. Roosevelt Rds Naval Station USARC, Puerto Rico
> Opening year: 1941
> Location: Ceiba, Puerto Rico
> Active duty personnel in country: 13,571
> US bases in country: 34 — #6 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 29 acres
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14. Luis Munoz Marin IAP, Puerto Rico
> Opening year: 1941
> Location: Carolina, Puerto Rico
> Active duty personnel in country: 13,571
> US bases in country: 34 — #6 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 95 acres
13. Fort Allen, Puerto Rico
> Opening year: 1941
> Location: Juana, Diaz, Puerto Rico
> Active duty personnel in country: 13,571
> US bases in country: 34 — #6 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 117 acres
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12. Thule Greenland, Greenland (Denmark)
> Opening year: 1941
> Location: North Star Bay, Greenland
> Active duty personnel in country: 147
> US bases in country: 1 — #50 most out of 80 (tied)
> Land estimated acreage: 233034 acres
11. Argentia Newfoundland, Canada
> Opening year: 1941
> Location: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
> Active duty personnel in country: 185
> US bases in country: 3 — #34 most out of 80 (tied)
> Land estimated acreage: 161 acres
10. MTA Camp Santiago, Puerto Rico
> Opening year: 1940
> Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico
> Active duty personnel in country: 13,571
> US bases in country: 34 — #6 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 14650 acres
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9. Salinas N00207, Puerto Rico
> Opening year: 1940
> Location: Salinas, Puerto Rico
> Active duty personnel in country: 13,571
> US bases in country: 34 — #6 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 249 acres
8. Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
> Opening year: 1936
> Location: Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
> Active duty personnel in country: 13,571
> US bases in country: 34 — #6 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 0 acres
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7. Johnston Atoll Airfield, Johnston Atoll
> Opening year: 1934
> Location: Johnston Atoll
> Active duty personnel in country: 00
> US bases in country: 1 — #50 most out of 80 (tied)
> Land estimated acreage: 684 acres
6. Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico
> Opening year: 1923
> Location: Guaynabo City, Puerto Rico
> Active duty personnel in country: 13,571
> US bases in country: 34 — #6 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 1635 acres
5. AMSA 161, Puerto Rico
> Opening year: 1923
> Location: Guaynabo City, Puerto Rico
> Active duty personnel in country: 13,571
> US bases in country: 34 — #6 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 0 acres
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4. CPT Euripides Rubio Jr. USARC, Puerto Rico
> Opening year: 1922
> Location: Puerto Nuevo, Puerto Rico
> Active duty personnel in country: 13,571
> US bases in country: 34 — #6 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 63 acres
3. Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
> Opening year: 1903
> Location: Guantanamo, Cuba
> Active duty personnel in country: 1,004
> US bases in country: 1 — #50 most out of 80 (tied)
> Land estimated acreage: 28817 acres
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2. Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
> Opening year: 1902
> Location: Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
> Active duty personnel in country: 13,571
> US bases in country: 34 — #6 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 0 acres
24/7 Wall St.
1. Agana, Guam
> Opening year: 1899
> Location: Apra Harbor, Guam
> Active duty personnel in country: 11,295
> US bases in country: 54 — #4 most out of 80
> Land estimated acreage: 22 acres
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