Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a command center, training ground or proving ground, official or unofficial ('black') prison, for intelligence purposes like regime changes, or smuggling of drugs, operatives, 'freedom fighters', weapons etc. The fenced off area combined with military administration makes bases ideal for off-the-book operations.
Military bases abroad serve to dominate a country, region or strategic waterway, as staging areas for invasions or regime changes, securing access to natural resources, especially oil, and is normally either de facto or de jure exempt from the policing powers of the host country.
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Military Bases Abroad
Per 2019, around a dozen countries have military bases abroad; The United States is the country with by far the biggest number of a bases with over 1000 bases in at least 63 countries. Apart from Russia with 6 bases, most of the other countries with foreign bases are part of the NATO-alliance, like the United Kingdom (at least 8 countries + several residue imperial outposts) and France (at least 9).
The United States
The US Military has at least a 1000 bases in 63 countries. In total, there are 255,065 US military personnel deployed Worldwide, in addition to civilian employees, mercenaries and off-the-book operatives. These facilities include a total of 845,441 different buildings and equipments. The underlying land surface is of the order of 30 million acres.[1]
In addition to official bases, there are inofficial 'ghost bases' and temprorary 'lily pads' mini-bases, especially in Africa.
A complete list of US bases is impossible to make, but central ones include Ramstein in Germany, Okinawa in Japan, Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo (Serbia). The most strategic of all is Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
Central SIGNINT bases include Sigonella in Italy and Pine Gap in Australia.
France
The French presence is concentrated in its former colonies in West Africa, where for the last 50 years, the bases have secured continued French control over the area and its rich resources. The region's monetary system, the CFA-franc, controlled by the French national bank, has been kept in place by a hard French hand.
Thanks to the French military dominance, French multinational companies have monopoly rights over this area's resources, like oil from Gabon and uranium from Mali.
The bases have been used for multiple invasions, like against the Ivory Coast in 2011.
The United Kingdom
In total, the UK has 16 overseas military bases, mostly hosted in former colonies and residual imperial outposts like Ascension Island, the Falklands Islands and Gibraltar. The US Diego Garcia is formally owned by the UK.
With help of its military presence, the UK keeps in place a number of puppet dictators in oil rich countries, like the Sultan of Brunei and the Sultan of Oman.
Other NATO countries
Most of the bases are appendixes to US military operations in Afghanistan, Libya etc.
Turkey has bases in Republic of Northern Cyprus, Iraqi Kurdistan and a base in Qatar on the Persian Gulf with 5000 personnel.
NATO Military Bases
The Atlantic Alliance (NATO) has its own Network of military bases, thirty in total [2]. They are primarily located in Western Europe:
Whiteman, U.S.A., Fairford,
Lakenheath and Mildenhall in United Kingdom,
Eindhoven in Netherlands,
Brüggen, Geilenkirchen, Landsberg, Ramstein, Spangdahlem, Rhein-Main in Germany,
Istres and Avord in France.
Morón de la Frontera and Rota in Spain,
Brescia, Vicenza, Piacenza, Aviano, Istrana, Trapani, Ancora, Pratica di Mare, Amendola, Sigonella, Gioia dell Colle, Grazzanise and Brindisi in Italy,
Tirana in Albania,
Incirlik in Turkey,
Eskan Village in Soudi Arabia and
Ali al Salem in Koweit
Russia
Russia has bases in mostly former Soviet republics, like Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, the breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossietia and in Tajikistan protecting the border to Afghanistan. In addtion, Russia has bases in Syria.
