One of the sticking points I encounter in conversation is when someone challenges me that America does not have, as I allege, a military empire. However, they never seem to be able to rattle off any facts or statistics to the contrary. This article is my attempt to document facts that he is unaware of for our benefit. The Department of Defense last issued information on troop deployment in December 2008. Obama’s recent troop additions of 21,000 troops to Afghanistan were covered here, but is not factored into the below facts. (photo)
The DoD report reveals:
- America has military personnel in 147 countries.
- There are 194 states in the world, so therefore we have troops in 76% of all countries on the planet.
- The size of America’s armed forces is 1,402,227 soldiers.
- 476,039 of these troops, or 34% are stationed overseas. 15% of our troops are engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- 54,974 soldiers are based in Germany, although WWII ended 64 years ago.
- 34,039 soldiers are based in Japan, although WWII ended 64 years ago.
- 24,655 soldiers are based in South Korea as technically this “police action” that resulted in the deaths of 36,516 Americans and the wounding of 92,134. In my opinion, the greatest barrier to peace with North Korea is the presence of these soldiers.
- We have 0 troops and bases in Vietnam, and get along with their nation fairly well, considering 58,159 were killed and 303,635 wounded during that “police action.”
The 2008 DoD military “Base Structure Report” reveals:
- America’s DoD is “one of the world’s largest “landlords” possessing 545,714 buildings, 5,429 bases, spanning 29.8 million acres of land. (p3/205)
- 761 bases, or 14%, are located on foreign soil. (p23/205)
- 12 of the 111 bases designated as “large” are located on foreign soil. (p33/205)
- However, reading the remainder of the report reveals that bases in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Israel are not listed, so both number of bases and “large” bases are too low.
Over 5,000 soldiers have died in Iraq and Afghanistan for the War of Terror. (source)
Furthermore, CBS and the military revealed that 18 veterans commit suicide per day during the 8-year Global War on Terror, resulting in an estimated 46,000 deaths. (source)
Time Magazine asked several days ago “Why Are Army Recruiters Killing Themselves?”
The DoD stated its total spending in 2009 will be $617 Billion. (p7/26)
However, the data put together by War Resisters League appears to be closer to reality. They demonstrate that America will spend $1,449 Billion on our military during 2009. They estimate the War of Terror has cost $990 Billion.
Keep these facts in mind when “supporting our troops.” My conclusion is the best way to do this is for all major deployments should return to US soil as soon as possible. This includes all personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, as I have explained in my writings.
Restore the Republic or Pay for a Bankrupt Military Empire, it is our choice. As for me, “hell in a handbasket” is not an option.
12 comments ↓
It’s time to end not just the war in Iraq, but also the one in Afghanistan too. Then, we need to completely dismantle this world military empire. It does far more harm than good – and no country can preserve liberty under such a dominant military presence!.
Right! There’s a great quote on that from James Madison:
In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended; its influence in dealing out offices, honors, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force, of the people…. [There is also an] inequality of fortunes, and the opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war, and … degeneracy of manners and of morals…. No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.
Michael and Frank. To go with those themes concerning Military Empire and the statement “… No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare…
I would like to add this George Orwell quote:
“Every War when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war, but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac.”
We’ve had 52 military actions against other countries since WWII, I began to try and think of even just one that George Orwell wasn’t right about, but I couldn’t think of any that didn’t have the exact run up that he describes.
Can you?
You sourced to an article that you wrote at another blog/website. Yet at that site you did not source anything for the information. Learn how to use reputable sources, not yourself.
we could end the wars… or establish global hegemony.
Jared while some of what you said is true the rest of it is not. In Jake’s article he referenced as a source another article that he had written earlier, and wrote in it quoting figures that are available in daily newspapers and other media. For example the number of soldiers dead in the Iraqi war is given as 4,221. Why would you need a source for that ? Is the number in dispute? The rest of the figures and numbers in that article are typical also.
As to the source quoted in this article, that source is a U S Government published report. And I don’t see anything that challenges the numbers and the figures, just the “source” or stated “lack thereof”.
Your complaint reminds me of an incident I had with a local Newspaper just this week. They wanted a better “source” in something I had written. But right there in their own paper, three days later, one of their columnists had an article about the same subject, using the same source that I had used. The only difference in the paper’s article and what I had written was the columnist had included his spin which was somewhat different than what I wrote. There was no difference in the data. The subject was torture.
I think people like jared are out here just to be a thorn. They don’t care if anything is right or wrong – and they don’t care about the important points of the article. they are just here to waste time nitpicking, because they don’t want us talking about how empire is wrong. How war and all the death is wrong – no matter what the death toll and no matter what the source of the stats.
Err….
But since there are evil people in the world, wishing to do us harm (and other innocent people), the only way to remain safe IS by having a large military force that can protect us. The world isn’t full of sunshine and roses, though we wish it to be! There are evil people out there, who will only be stopped by force, not negotiation. We couldn’t have the great life here in the U.S. without a powerful military to protect it! Just a thought.
There sure are evil people out there, and they want to do you and i harm if we don’t follow what they order us to do. Like, for example, giving up a large portion of our incomes to them, or standing in free speech zones, or allowing them to torture people, or approving of them waging wars around the world.
These people are a serious danger to all of us.
It’s kind of like the Western Movie “Unforiven”. The theme of the reporter in that old wild west was gunfighters. And his obsession was how the gunfighter choose the order of his targets.
When confronted with an enemy, he believed, the successful gunfighter will take on his most threatening opponent first!
It appears that what we the public must do is identify the opponent that is the greater threat. But it is hard for the average Joe to state that his Government is the greatest threat.
But do we still have an ethical, moral, form of Government? I’ll just bet that over 50% of the people will say no.
Cliff – awesome argument. It sure is hard to face up to the fact that the government of “we the people” is actually the greatest threat to our liberty and security. All those years of learning how great they are (in government-run schools, of course) sure made it hard to accept. But my eyes are open!
When soldiers are killing themselves over this war, WHO are we defending? Those suicides are the result of a government gone insane; and those 46,000 plus deaths by suicide, is blood on the hands of our own government. They are guilty of Murder against our own soldiers. As for the money. It could wipe out poverty instead of wiping out lives. But that is not what total power and control is about.
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