The U.S. Military Presence Abroad
2010-2011 Policy Debate Topic
The United States is a global power, with a current military presence in 144 nations. As of March 2010, U.S. forces totaled more than 1.4 million — second only in size to China. Of that number, more than 1.1 million are stationed on U.S. territory. In its overseas contingent, the United States has roughly 80,000 armed forces personnel deployed at bases in Europe, 47,000 in East Asia and the Pacific (primarily Japan and South Korea), 50,000 in Iraq (down from a high of 171,000 in 2007), and 100,000 in Afghanistan. The size and scope of the U.S. military comes with…
