Domestic and international deployments of U.S. military personnel
Themilitary 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 deploymentsexcepting 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 ofembassy andconsulate security.
This section needs to beupdated. The reason given is: old sources. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(December 2022)
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]
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-calledKirkpatrick Doctrine is the use of selective methods to advance democracy in order to contain the wave of communism.[7]
The following regional tables provide detail of where personnel from sixbranches 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 recentUnited States Department of Defense statistics as of June 30, 2025.[1]
^abHermann, Margaret G.; Kegley, Charles (1998). "The U.S. Use of Military Intervention to Promote Democracy: Evaluating the Record".International Interactions.24 (2):91–114.doi:10.1080/03050629808434922.
^Lowenthal, Abraham (1991).The United States and Latin American Democracy: Learning from History. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 243–65.
Alaska
Puerto Rico
Guantanamo Bay
Honduras
Canada
Greenland
Japan
Hawaii
South Korea
Guam
Australia
Singapore
Germany
Italy
United Kingdom
Spain
Belgium
Netherlands
Greece
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Bahrain
Turkey
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
Qatar
Diego Garcia
Egypt
United Arab Emirates
