United States military deployments

The military 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 deployments excepting 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 of embassy and consulate security.

Rationale

Statements by U.S. military and government

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]

Statements by others

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-called Kirkpatrick Doctrine is the use of selective methods to advance democracy in order to contain the wave of communism.^[7]

Current deployments

The following regional tables provide detail of where personnel from six branches 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 recent United States Department of Defense statistics as of June 30, 2025.^[1]

Americas

Jurisdiction	Total	Army	Navy	USAF	USMC	USCG	USSF
United States (contiguous)	1,081,382	366,863	281,926	247,902	139,204	36,335	9,152
Alaska	20,671	10,163	34	8,585	10	1,868	11
Puerto Rico	774	117	34	24	12	586	1
Guantanamo Bay	571	127	415	–	23	6	–
Honduras	340	213	1	117	8	1	–
Canada	157	25	38	74	12	6	2
Greenland	142	–	–	116	–	–	26
other	718	152	147	69	290	57	3
Total	1,104,755	377,660	282,595	256,887	139,559	38,859	9,195

East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Pacific Ocean

Jurisdiction	Total	Army	Navy	USAF	USMC	USCG	USSF
Japan	53,912	2,512	21,578	12,429	17,252	21	120
Hawaii	45,445	19,236	12,399	5,323	6,756	1,556	175
South Korea	23,766	15,015	360	8,152	167	1	71
Guam	7,125	196	3,971	2,418	205	334	1
Australia	315	47	83	154	23	2	6
Singapore	260	19	194	24	12	11	–
other	462	137	67	57	188	13	–
Total	131,285	37,162	38,652	28,557	24,603	1,938	373

Europe

Jurisdiction	Total	Army	Navy	USAF	USMC	USCG	USSF
Germany	35,989	22,203	415	12,760	409	11	191
Italy	12,571	4,112	3,531	4,847	58	1	22
United Kingdom	10,071	217	274	9,457	52	14	57
Spain	3,700	28	3,235	400	35	1	1
Belgium	1,122	606	92	389	32	–	3
Netherlands	420	121	29	226	12	31	1
Greece	407	11	363	28	5	–	–
Poland	342	208	93	31	10	–	–
Portugal	236	5	45	170	15	1	–
Romania	149	27	102	11	9	–	–
other	648	139	71	188	244	5	1
Total	65,655	27,677	8,250	28,507	881	64	276

West Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Africa, and Indian Ocean

Jurisdiction	Total	Army	Navy	USAF	USMC	USCG	USSF
Bahrain	3,391	23	2,818	19	197	334	–
Turkey	1,717	122	6	1,559	30	–	–
Kuwait	559	529	3	18	9	–	–
Saudi Arabia	270	161	16	67	26	–	–
Qatar	254	118	6	107	7	–	16
Diego Garcia	230	–	230	–	–	–	–
Egypt	188	140	8	20	20	–	–
United Arab Emirates	129	26	21	35	47	–	–
other	1,210	350	85	123	652	–	–
Total	7,948	1,469	3,193	1,948	988	334	16

Unspecified

Jurisdiction	Total	Army	Navy	USAF	USMC	USCG	USSF
Overseas	9,715	4,308	12	1,188	4,170	–	37

References

^ ^a ^b "Number of Military and DoD Appropriated Fund (APF) Civilian Personnel By Assigned Duty Location and Service/Component (as of June 30, 2025)". Defense Manpower Data Center. August 18, 2025.
^ "Letter to the Speaker of the House and President Pro Tempore of the Senate Regarding the War Powers Report". White House. December 6, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Chirico 2014, p. 70.
^ ^a ^b Hermann, 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.
^ Peceny, Mark (1999). Democracy at the Point of Bayonets. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press. p. 183. ISBN 0-271-01883-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)^{[dead link]}
^ Wright 2007, p. 29.

Chirico, JoAnn (2014). Globalization: Prospects and Problems. SAGE Publication Ltd. p. 71. ISBN 9781483315447.
Wright, Steven (2007). The United States and Persian Gulf Security. Ithaca Press. ISBN 978-0-86372-321-6.