"The United States operates hundreds of overseas facilities that range from forward-operating sites to major logistics hubs, with new bases added where strategic access, partner agreements and expeditionary capability are needed, while older installations are often neglected when political host-nation support, budget priorities or changing threat perceptions reduce their utility, leaving a patchwork of modernized nodes and decaying infrastructure that complicates global sustainment and rapid response."
"The largest overseas base in Southern Germany serves as the central transatlantic hub for airlift, command-and-control, intelligence and medical evacuation, hosting family housing, maintenance depots and expansive runways; its scale enables rapid reinforcement of Europe and Africa, stockpiling of materiel and coordination with NATO allies, but it also concentrates vulnerable high-value assets that would be critical targets in a high-intensity conflict."
"The pattern of new construction and disrepair reveals strategic priorities: dense, forward basing in Europe deters Russia and reassures allies; scattered, smaller facilities in the Middle East enable counterterrorism and power projection toward Iran but remain exposed to asymmetric attack; in the Indo-Pacific, limited U.S. basing and dependence on partner access complicate any rapid campaign against China, making deterrence reliant on alliances, distributed forces and resilient logistics rather than sheer basing density."
Satellite imagery and archive footage reveal a global mosaic of U.S. overseas installations, from new forward sites to decaying Cold War-era bases. Patterns of investment follow strategic access, alliance politics and logistical needs: modern hubs concentrate sustainment and command capabilities while peripheral facilities are minimized or abandoned when costs or host-nation relations change. The largest base in Southern Germany functions as a transatlantic logistics and C2 hub, enabling rapid reinforcement in Europe and Africa. Regional basing patterns shape deterrence and warfighting: Europe focuses on Russia deterrence, the Middle East on countering Iran and nonstate threats, and the Indo-Pacific depends on partner access to counter China.
Read at Business Insider
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