US Military Hegemony

This is a topic that I think of from time to time especially after i watched the documentary "Standing Army".



I was born on a US Military base abroad and spent most of my childhood living on Military bases in the US and around the world.

I thought this would be a trip down memory lane for me but it was not. I had no idea the extent to which the system had grown projecting US power on to others against the will of local people.

Today, I read the following and I'd like you to think about how you would feel if, as a condition of - hmmm let's say trade, China were to 'lease' a patch of land near your town for a based for 'mutual' security?

While there are no freestanding foreign bases permanently located in the United States, there are now around 800 US bases in foreign countries.

Seventy years after World War II and 62 years after the Korean War, there are still 174 US “base sites” in Germany, 113 in Japan, and 83 in South Korea, according to the Pentagon.

Hundreds more dot the planet in around 80 countries, including Aruba and Australia, Bahrain and Bulgaria, Colombia, Kenya, and Qatar, among many other places.

The United States isn’t, however, the only country to control military bases outside its territory.

Great Britain still has about seven bases and France five in former colonies. Russia has around eight in former Soviet republics.

For the first time since World War II, Japan’s “Self-Defense Forces” have a foreign base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, alongside US and French bases there.

South Korea, India, Chile, Turkey, and Israel each reportedly have at least one foreign base. There are also reports that China may be seeking its first base overseas. In total, these countries probably have about 30 installations abroad, meaning that the United States has approximately 95% of the world’s foreign bases.

www.thenation.com... /

The Nation has been around for 150 years publishing QUALITY articles of all opinions.

Now why do 'Empires' demand this control of other peoples with threat of force?

Capitalism's core goal/need is ever expanding markets to provide ever more profit. There is a limit to 'ever expanding' anything. Maybe people don't want your 'sh$t' or don't want to sell your their 'sh$t' so you need force to make them comply. (There's a good Stargate SG1 episode about this very subject and our heros are with the natives - not their military bosses.)

a reply to: FyreByrd

There are no free standing foreign bases in the US because the point of the bases that are here is training. The best way to do that is to attach said foreign units to an existing American unit or base. Take Arizona. They have F-16s and F-35s from 6-8 different countries permanently based between Tucson International Airport, and Luke AFB. Both those sites exist already as USAF and AZANG locations. So they're getting to use the infrastructure that we built to support our units, without having to build their own.

A US base in a foreign country is a bit more complicated. It's usually always a foreign base that we lease. Our bases in the UK are RAF bases that we're leasing. They're not just training bases, and we're providing upkeep and improvement to move our aircraft around.

We've been asked to leave countries in the past, and left. We'll be asked to leave in the future and we'll leave.

a reply to: FyreByrd


How did people in Northern England feel during the roman occupation?

How did Russians feel during the Mongol occupation?

How did Egyptians feel during the Assyrian occupation?

And so on, forever and forever....

Do they even teach people history anymore?

Also, you are currently living in a more "global" thing where there are reciprocating troops of varying degrees from various nations in hotels and bases ALL AROUND ALL OF US.

TO me, I would LOVE the USA to vacate so many bases around the world so all of you ungrateful whatevers can deal face to face with your less than friendly neighbors.

Seriously, most of us in the USA are pretty tired of funding this sort of nonsense.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: FyreByrd

There are no free standing foreign bases in the US because the point of the bases that are here is training. The best way to do that is to attach said foreign units to an existing American unit or base. Take Arizona. They have F-16s and F-35s from 6-8 different countries permanently based between Tucson International Airport, and Luke AFB. Both those sites exist already as USAF and AZANG locations. So they're getting to use the infrastructure that we built to support our units, without having to build their own.

A US base in a foreign country is a bit more complicated. It's usually always a foreign base that we lease. Our bases in the UK are RAF bases that we're leasing. They're not just training bases, and we're providing upkeep and improvement to move our aircraft around.

We've been asked to leave countries in the past, and left. We'll be asked to leave in the future and we'll leave.

No it isn't about training though that may be one part of the facade.

As to engineering and maintenance - it's another way to hold countries to the corporate teet.

Winning hearts and minds folks - whether they want it or not.

Give me an example or two of countries asking and receiving US base closures. Okinawa has been trying to get ride of a base for decades to no avail.

originally posted by: Fools
a reply to: FyreByrd


How did people in Northern England feel during the roman occupation?

How did Russians feel during the Mongol occupation?

How did Egyptians feel during the Assyrian occupation?

And so on, forever and forever....

Do they even teach people history anymore?

Also, you are currently living in a more "global" thing where there are reciprocating troops of varying degrees from various nations in hotels and bases ALL AROUND ALL OF US.

TO me, I would LOVE the USA to vacate so many bases around the world so all of you ungrateful whatevers can deal face to face with your less than friendly neighbors.

Seriously, most of us in the USA are pretty tired of funding this sort of nonsense.

That was the point of my post - that this is how 'markets' and capitalism expand their markets. And always have. The empires fall (US turn) but the capitalists stay.

Never forget - wise man said:

a reply to: FyreByrd

Every foreign unit in the US is here for training. About the only one that isn't is the Luftwaffe logistics base in DC.

Okinawa is an independent country now? The Japanese government decides where the base is located, not the governor, or the mayor. The Japanese government wants the base there, so it stays there. In 1967, France closed all foreign bases within their borders. That included multiple US Air Force bases. Only French bases are there now. The Philippines ordered US forces out after failing to reach an agreement on rent. They eventually allowed small outposts back, but are in the process of closing them again.

We aren't forcing any country to buy US equipment. If they choose to buy US, and reduce their cost by splitting engineering costs, it's entirely up to them.

a reply to: FyreByrd

Frank was at least three standard deviations smarter than any politician and he wasn't wrong here, either.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Nice summation: precise and comprehensive. Should be all of the answer needed but somehow I'm doubting this will be the case.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Foreign aide is often tied to purchasing from US manufacturers

Military and security aid (33 percent) primarily goes toward helping allies purchase U.S. military equipment, training foreign military personnel, and funding peacekeeping missions. A smaller slice goes to “non-military security assistance,” which includes counternarcotics programs in Afghanistan, Colombia, Peru, and elsewhere, as well as nonproliferation and counterterrorism efforts.

www.cfr.org...

Took me 30 seconds to find.

a reply to: FyreByrd

I know how it works. Probably better than you. Foreign Aid funds come at the request of whatever government is asking for them. There are multiple ways to buy equipment, from Foreign Aid, to Foreign Military Sales, to Direct Commercial Sales. Foreign Aid is designed to buy US equipment. Foreign Military Sales is a government to government purchase, where the US government signs the contract, usually at a discount and the government that is buying the equipment then pays the government the cost, plus an administrative fee. Direct Commercial Sales, allows foreign governments to go directly to the contractor and negotiate with them.

The US has used Foreign Military Sales to buy foreign equipment for foreign governments. The Pentagon bought almost 100 Mi-17 helicopters directly from Russia, then transferred them to Afghanistan for their Air Force to use. Not all countries use Foreign Aid funds, and many of our allies frequently buy non-US equipment to do the same missions.

a reply to: FyreByrd

So MAP spending is forcing countries to buy our product? Lol

"I like you. If you buy a car from my brother in law, I'll pay for all or part of it".

That's now somehow nefariously forcing people to buy our product?