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. This list consists of deployments excepting active combat deployments, including troops in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia.
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.
When asked about the reason behind U.S. military presence in Germany, former Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexander Haig said that "the presence of U.S. troops keeps European markets open to us. If those troops weren't there, those markets would probably be more difficult to access." Adding, "On occasion, even with our presence, we have confronted protectionism in a number of industries, such as automotive and aerospace. In addition to economic benefits derived from our presence in Europe, there is perhaps an even more important diplomatic and political benefit."
Statements by others According to Hermann and Kegley, military interventions have boosted democracy in other nations. 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."
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.
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.
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.
Americas (Northern Command & Southern Command)
JurisdictionTotalArmyNavyUSAFUSMCUSCGUSSF 1,081,382 366,863 281,926 247,902 139,204 36,335 9,152 20,671 10,163 34 8,585 10 1,868 11 774 117 34 24 12 586 1 571 127 415 – 23 6 – 340 213 1 117 8 1 – 157 25 38 74 12 6 2142––116––26 other 718 152 147 69 290 57 3 Total 1,104,613 377,544 282,595 256,887 139,559 38,859 9,169
East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Pacific Ocean (Indo-Pacific Command)
JurisdictionTotalArmyNavyUSAFUSMCUSCGUSSF 53,912 2,512 21,578 12,429 17,252 21 120 45,445 19,236 12,399 5,323 6,756 1,556 175 23,766 15,015 360 8,152 167 1 71 7,125 196 3,971 2,418 205 334 1 315 47 83 154 23 2 6 260 19 194 24 12 11 – Diego Garcia 230 – 230 – – – – other 462 137 67 57 188 13 – Total 131,415 37,162 38,882 28,557 24,603 1,938 373
Europe (European Command)
JurisdictionTotalArmyNavyUSAFUSMCUSCGUSSF 35,989 22,203 415 12,760 409 11 191 12,571 4,112 3,531 4,847 58 1 22 10,071 217 274 9,457 52 14 57 3,700 28 3,235 400 35 1 1 1,717 122 6 1,559 30 – – 1,122 606 92 389 32 – 3 420 121 29 226 12 31 1 407 11 363 28 5 – – 342 208 93 31 10 – – 236 5 45 170 15 1 – 149 27 102 11 9 – – other 648 139 71 188 244 5 1 Total 67,514 27,799 8,256 30,182 911 64 302
West Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Africa, and Indian Ocean (Central Command)
JurisdictionTotalArmyNavyUSAFUSMCUSCGUSSF 3,391 23 2,818 19 197 334 – 559 529 3 18 9 – – 270 161 16 67 26 – – 254 118 6 107 7 – 16 188 140 8 20 20 – – 129 26 21 35 47 – – other 1,210 350 85 123 652 – – Total 6,001 1,347 2,957 389 958 334 16
Unspecified
JurisdictionTotalArmyNavyUSAFUSMCUSCGUSSF Overseas 9,715 4,308 12 1,188 4,170 – 37
See also List of notable deployments of U.S. military forces overseas since 1798 List of United States overseas military bases List of United States military bases Marine Security Guard Military Assistance Advisory Group Military Assistance Command, Vietnam United States Taiwan Defense Command Status of forces agreement United States foreign aid United States militarism
References
Further reading