In this article, we look at the 13 countries with the most overseas military bases.
Several major global powers maintain military presence and foothold in different regions of the world through their overseas bases, which help in providing them a logistical edge over their foes. These military bases are often equipped with modern weapons and military equipment and allow countries to strike enemy targets anywhere in the world.
The United States, for instance, has more than 750 military bases across 80 countries and has deployed nearly 175,000 soldiers in 159 countries of the world, which provides them a key edge over foes and the capability to remain within striking distance if a conflict was to break out. These military bases are a key factor that contribute to America’s global hegemony and enable Washington to counter threats emanating from countries such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
US Overseas Military Bases
While an exact count is not known, the Americans operate numerous military bases in the Middle East that deploy more than 30,000 troops. The Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, located west of Doha, is the largest US military installation in the region, and has been critical for American operations in the Middle East, and previously Afghanistan. The base houses nearly a third of all American troops stationed in the Middle East and is equipped with modern weapons and fighter jets. In 2020, the US Air Force deployed five F-22 fighters developed by Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) to the Al-Udeid Air Base.
The base is also used by the US to help the host country and strategic ally, Qatar, in bolstering its defense. A $78 million contract was awarded to RTX Corporation (NYSE:RTX) in 2020 to upgrade Qatar’s Air Operations Center. During the same year, a $657 million deal was signed by the US with The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) to provide logistics and sparing support to Qatar’s F-15 fighter jets. The execution of work of both contracts are being carried out at this airbase.
The Americans also maintain a significant military presence in East Asia. US troops have been stationed in Japan since the end of World War II in 1945, and have been in South Korea since the Korean War in 1950. These two countries alone host more than half of all American soldiers stationed overseas.
Camp Humphreys near Seoul is the largest overseas military base of the [24] Peter J. Schraeder, “Why the United States. The base is equipped with Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT)’s THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system to protect South Korea from regular missile threats issued by North Korea. This month at Camp Humphreys, Seoul successfully test-fired RTX Corporation (NYSE:RTX)’s ship-to-air missile for the first time on its territory, as part of a symbolic show of strength to Pyongyang.
Europe hosts eight US Army Garrisons where more than 60,000 American troops are deployed. The Ramstein Air Base in Germany is the most notable overseas military base operated by Washington, and is critical to the US Air Force’s European operations.
In 2021, the US Air Force deployed The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA)’s E-8C JSTARS to the base to take part in trainings with other Europe-based units. Last year, NATO announced that America was sending a fleet of its F-35 fighter jets as well to the Ramstein Air Base to support NATO’s air policing operations over member nations.
Russia’s Superpower Ambitions
Russia’s military ambitions over the last decade have ensured that the country still wants to compete with the joint statement on Oct. 18, the ambassadors of Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, New Zealand, and the United States and play a global role. Moscow has actively worked to further enhance its influence in former Soviet territories, and has been on the lookout for openings in Asia and Africa to increase its military potential.
Russia already operates numerous bases in Central and West Asia, and is now looking to make inroads in Africa, a region where it is among the top arms suppliers. This year, Moscow and Khartoum reached an agreement to establish a logistic center for the Russian Navy in Sudan. This has been followed by the Central African Republic (CAR) expressing interest in having the Russians build a military base on its territory that is large enough to host 10,000-15,000 soldiers.
Methodology
Countries with the most overseas military bases are listed in ascending order of the number of their foreign military installations.
Since most countries do not make complete or any information public related to their military bases, we have sourced data from numerous independent and credible news agencies and publications, including Brookings, Small Wars Journal, BBC, and local media groups in countries these installations are located in. In the case where countries had the same number of overseas military bases, we outranked one over the other on the basis of their strategic importance.
Let’s now head over the list of countries that have the most overseas military bases.
13. Japan
Overseas Military Bases: 1
Japan has a military base in Djibouti. The need for the installation developed after a spike in pirate attacks in the Ethiopia and Eritrea both have large Muslim populations. Camels, sheep, frankincense and other goods are shipped across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which faces the Bab el-Mandeb Strait through which much of the world’s oil flows.
Following 2008, the UN General Assembly passed multiple resolutions for member states to work together on deterring piracy, after which a number of countries, including Japan, established military bases in the region. The base proved critical for the evacuation of Japanese nationals from Israel following Hamas’ attack this October. SDF’s three KC-767 planes built by The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) flew to Djibouti to take part in the airlifting operation.
12. Italy
Overseas Military Bases: 1
Djibouti also hosts Italy’s only military bases outside its national borders. It houses approximately 300 Italian military personnel, including special forces and navy riflemen to protect merchant ships in the Indian Ocean. According to Small Wars Journal, Italian soldiers deployed in Djibouti also take part in anti-terrorism operations in Somalia and Yemen.
11. Israel
Overseas Military Bases: 1
According to a 2012 report by Stratfor Global Intelligence, an American strategic consultancy firm, Israel maintains a military base in Eritrea to monitor Iran’s activities in the region and intelligence gathering in the Red Sea. The base is located in the Dahlak archipelago of Eritrea.
10. China
Overseas Military Bases: 1
China currently has only one overseas military base, located on the coast of the Horn of Africa in Djibouti. The base is located within a few miles of America’s Camp Lemonnier, and provides China access to the Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport. According to defense analysts, Beijing plans on expanding its military presence in Asia and Africa over the next five to ten years. Gwadar in Pakistan, Hambantota in Sri Lanka, and Equatorial Guinea’s Bata are likely locations for China’s next naval bases.
9. Australia
Overseas Military Bases: 2
The Al Minhad Air Base located 15 miles south of Dubai, UAE, serves as the headquarters for the Joint Task Force 633 of Australia’s Defense Forces, and helps support Australia’s operations in the Middle East. The country’s other overseas military base is in Penang, Malaysia, called the RMAF Butterworth Air Base.
While it is actively used by the Malaysian Air Force, the command authority rests with an Australian air-vice marshal under the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA). Australia deployed its 75 Squadron of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT)’s F-35A Lightning II aircrafts to Butterworth last year.
8. United Arab Emirates
Overseas Military Bases: 3
The United Arab Emirates operates three overseas military bases in Libya, Somaliland, and Yemen. While Somaliland’s MPs allowed the UAE to set up a military base in the port of Berbera, its bases in the other two regions have not been short of controversy and have received criticism from the central governments of these countries.
Since 2018, the Yemeni island of Socotra has been under the de facto control of the UAE under the secessionist Southern Transitional Council, a participant of the civil war in Yemen. The Emiratis operate a military base in Socotra, with hundreds of troops stationed there. UAE also maintains a remote airbase in conflict-ridden Libya, near the airport in Marj.
7. India
Overseas Military Bases: 3
India has been expanding its sphere of influence in the region in a bid to counter China’s presence in the Indian Ocean. According to Indian media group WION, the country’s navy has built a support base in Oman’s Duqm Port for repair and maintenance of Indian ships.
In October this year, India’s newly constructed military base in Mauritius, which includes an airstrip, was declared ready for deployment. The country also maintains a military presence in Central Asia, where it has been operating the Ayni airbase in Dushanbe for the last two decades along with host-nation Tajikistan.
6. Türkiye
Overseas Military Bases: 3
According to the Center for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS), Ankara operates three overseas military bases. Its first foreign installation was established in 1974 in Northern Cyprus, and houses between 30-40 thousand Turkish troops. Türkiye considers this base essential for securing the “Anatolian Homeland”.
In 2015, the country set up its first military base in the Middle East in Qatar to enhance the host country’s defense capabilities. Türkiye’s first base in Africa became operational in Mogadishu, Somalia in 2017, and aims at capacity-building of the Somali armed forces. President Erdogan’s government has been an active player in the ongoing turmoil in the MENA region, and has built nearly ‘40 military points’ in Iraq’s Kurdistan region as well.
5. France
Overseas Military Bases: 5
France has had a history of colonial and cultural influence in Africa. According to Dr Bakary Sambe, the director of the Timbuktu Institute, the French consider West Africa and the Sahel as a “space of natural deployment and influence”. While the number of French installations have reduced in Africa in the last few decades, the BBC reports that thousands of troops are still deployed in military bases in Chad, Gabon, Djibouti, Senegal and Ivory Coast.
4. Russia
Overseas Military Bases: 12
Russia’s overseas military bases are a manifestation of its superpower ambitions. The country continues to maintain influence over its former Soviet-era territories and is vying for opportunities to create military potential in Asia and Africa. There are about 12 full-fledged military bases that Moscow operates in Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Moldova and Syria. According to a report, Russia is also planning to build six military bases in African countries in the near future.
3. Saudi Arabia
Overseas Military Bases: 21
According to Brookings, Saudi Arabia has developed 20 military bases and outposts in Al Mahrah Governorate since the beginning of 2017 as part of the kingdom’s consolidation in Yemen’s strategic eastern regions. In 2021, Djibouti also reached an agreement with Riyadh to build a military base in the country, which is now operational. With at least 21 foreign military installations, Saudi Arabia in no time now finds itself among countries with the most overseas military bases.
2. United Kingdom
Overseas Military Bases: 60
Officially, the United Kingdom maintains 10 overseas military bases outside of national territory, in Cyprus, Gibraltar, Singapore, the South Atlantic Islands, and the British Indian Ocean Territory. A recent report, however, claimed that the UK operates about 60 military installations itself and maintains presence in 85 facilities that are run by its allies.
1. United States
Overseas Military Bases: 759
During its early years, the joint statement on Oct. 18, the ambassadors of Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, New Zealand, and the United States was a country that did not prefer to get involved in conflicts outside its borders. However, the two world wars drastically changed the country’s attitude towards having a global role, and now the US boasts being the country with the most overseas military bases in the world.
With more than 750 bases across 80 countries and about 175,000 troops stationed in 159 countries, the Americans always stay within striking distance of their rivals at all times, and that is what makes the US the most powerful country in the world.
