A century of global military presence
US interventions and military bases worldwide, from 1900 to today. Countries are colored by a blend of nine intervention types – military, political, and economic – with colors fading over time after interventions end. Borders change over time, but wartime occupations aren't shown. The base count is lower than the often-cited 750+ because we include only installations with documented names and locations, not every warehouse or fuel depot.
Ground troops deployed in combat operations or military occupation.
Sustained aerial bombardment without ground invasion (e.g., Laos, Cambodia, Libya).
Targeted killings via unmanned aircraft, often outside declared war zones.
CIA-backed overthrow of elected or established governments (e.g., Iran 1953, Chile 1973).
Arming rebels (Contras, mujahideen) or propping up dictatorships (Shah, Marcos, Suharto).
Election meddling, propaganda campaigns, or support for opposition movements.
Total trade isolation – comprehensive ban on nearly all commerce (e.g., Cuba, North Korea).
Economic warfare without formal sanctions – cutting credit, blocking loans, funding strikes.
Targeted restrictions on specific sectors, individuals, or financial flows.
Countries with multiple intervention types show blended colors – military (red), political (amber), and economic (green) layers are drawn on top of each other. Colors fade to 20% opacity over 20 years after an intervention ends, but never disappear entirely. Click a country to see its full intervention history.
Military, political, and economic interventions active per decade. Interventions spanning multiple decades are counted for each.
The US maintains more foreign military bases than all other countries combined and has conducted more interventions since 1945 than any other power. The pattern is historically unusual: European colonial empires intervened extensively before World War II, but decolonization sharply reduced their global military footprint. Britain, France, and others now maintain only remnants of their former reach. The US, by contrast, expanded dramatically after 1945 and has sustained that expansion ever since.
As of 2025, according to the PONARS Eurasia project and World BEYOND War, other major powers have far smaller footprints:
Once the world's largest empire with military presence on every continent. Now reduced to Cyprus, Gibraltar, Falkland Islands, Brunei, and Diego Garcia (joint with US). Post-WWII interventions include Suez (1956), Malaya, Kenya, Aden, and alongside the US in Iraq and Afghanistan. Modern footprint is a fraction of its colonial peak. Source
Major Cold War interventions include Hungary (1956), Czechoslovakia (1968), and Afghanistan (1979–89). Post-Soviet: Chechnya, Georgia (2008), Ukraine (2014–present), Syria (2015–2024). Bases in Armenia, Syria (retained after Assad's fall via deal with new government), Tajikistan, Belarus, and breakaway regions. Source
Northern Cyprus (35,000+ troops), Syria (Afrin, Idlib region), Iraq (100+ outposts targeting PKK), Qatar (Doha), Somalia (Camp TURKSOM), Libya (multiple air bases), Kosovo, Azerbaijan. Source
Bhutan (IMTRAT training mission), Mauritius (Agaléga Island airfield), Oman (Ras al Hadd listening post, Duqm naval access), Seychelles (coastal surveillance), Madagascar (monitoring station), Singapore (Changi Naval Base access). Focused on Indian Ocean. Source
Second-largest colonial empire, with extensive interventions in Indochina (1946–54), Algeria (1954–62), and dozens of operations across Francophone Africa. Rapid withdrawal in 2025: Chad (January), Senegal (July), Ivory Coast (December). Once maintained bases across Africa; now reduced to Djibouti, Gabon, and UAE. Source
Despite its economic rise, China has avoided the US model of global base networks. Djibouti (first official overseas base, 2017), Cambodia (Ream Naval Base, operational 2024), and small facilities in Tajikistan. Major interventions limited to Korea (1950–53) and the brief Sino-Vietnamese War (1979). Primarily projects power through economic ties. Source
The Soviet Union pursued a different model: fewer bases but major direct interventions to maintain its sphere. Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968) were crushed by tank invasions. Afghanistan (1979–89) became a decade-long war costing over a million lives. The USSR also backed proxy wars and client states across Africa, Latin America, and Asia – from Cuba and Angola to Ethiopia and Vietnam – though often through arms and advisors rather than occupying forces.
In terms of bases, the Soviets relied on massive troop concentrations in a few key locations. According to declassified intelligence estimates, over 600,000 personnel were stationed in Eastern Europe by the late Cold War, with the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany alone peaking at approximately 500,000 troops. Beyond Eastern Europe, the Soviet Navy had port access in Cuba, Syria, Vietnam, Egypt, Somalia, and Ethiopia – but these were often temporary. The total number of distinct Soviet foreign installations was likely in the dozens, an order of magnitude smaller than the American network.
When Soviet forces withdrew from all positions outside former Soviet territory between 1989 and 1994, Russia was left with only a handful of legacy bases in Tajikistan, Armenia, and Belarus. The current count of ~10 foreign bases represents a modest rebuilding since then, with additions like Kyrgyzstan (2003), the Georgian breakaway regions (2008), and Syria (2015).
The US paid Spain $20 million (~$780 million today) for the Philippines. The subsequent Philippine-American War (1899-1902) killed over 200,000 Filipino civilians.
The US supported Panamanian independence from Colombia, then leased the Canal Zone "in perpetuity." Guantanamo was leased from Cuba for $2,000/year in gold.
Marines intervened repeatedly to protect US business interests. Nicaragua (1912-33), Haiti (1915-34), and the Dominican Republic (1916-24) were occupied for decades. Honduras saw troops land seven times.
Japan attacked US bases across the Pacific simultaneously. Clark Field was bombed 9 hours after Pearl Harbor despite the warning.
At peak occupation, the US had over 3 million troops in Europe. Germany was divided into four zones; the US zone included Bavaria and Hesse. Occupation ended in 1955, though US bases remain to this day.
The only nuclear weapons used in warfare killed 140,000 in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki by the end of 1945, mostly civilians. Japan surrendered days later; US occupation lasted until 1952.
The war never officially ended – only an armistice was signed in 1953. US forces have remained in Korea for over 70 years.
The CIA and MI6 overthrew democratically elected PM Mossadegh after he nationalized oil. The Shah was installed as autocrat, setting the stage for the 1979 revolution.
Operation PBSUCCESS overthrew President Árbenz after he proposed land reform affecting United Fruit Company. Guatemala descended into 36 years of civil war.
CIA-trained Cuban exiles attempted to overthrow Castro. The invasion failed within three days; 114 were killed and 1,189 captured. Kennedy refused air support.
The embargo, still in effect today, is the longest in modern history. The UN General Assembly has voted against it annually since 1992 – only the US and Israel vote to maintain it.
The second Gulf of Tonkin incident, used to justify the war, likely never occurred. By 1968, over 500,000 US troops were in Vietnam with bases across Thailand.
LBJ sent Marines to prevent "another Cuba" during a civil war. The intervention installed a pro-US government and killed up to 4,000 Dominicans.
After a failed coup blamed on communists, the US-backed army killed suspected PKI members. The CIA provided lists of targets. Suharto took power.
Over 4 years, the US dropped 2.7 million tons of bombs on Cambodia – more than all WWII bombs combined. The campaign was hidden from Congress.
On September 11, 1973, the military overthrew socialist President Allende with US support. Pinochet's dictatorship killed over 3,000 people.
Operation Frequent Wind evacuated 7,000 people by helicopter. Thailand demanded US forces leave; over 25,000 personnel departed Southeast Asia by 1976.
The Shah's fall ended decades of US intelligence and military presence. Listening posts monitoring the Soviet Union were lost.
The US sent $6 billion in aid to the Salvadoran military, whose death squads killed 75,000 civilians. Archbishop Romero was assassinated weeks after asking Carter to stop military aid.
Reagan ordered the invasion days after a Marxist coup, citing threats to US medical students. The first major US military action since Vietnam.
Operation Just Cause removed Manuel Noriega, a former CIA asset turned drug trafficker. Up to 3,000 Panamanian civilians died.
Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia became the main hub for air operations. Over 500,000 US troops deployed to liberate Kuwait.
NATO bombed Serbia without UN authorization to stop ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. Over 500 civilians were killed, including 16 at a TV station.
The US gained basing rights in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The 20-year war would cost over $2 trillion and kill thousands.
Over 250,000 troops staged through Kuwait. The war, justified by false WMD claims, killed over 200,000 Iraqi civilians and cost $2 trillion.
A UN-authorized no-fly zone expanded into regime change. Gaddafi was killed in October; Libya has since fractured into civil war.
Operation Timber Sycamore spent $1 billion arming Syrian rebels, including Al Qaeda-linked groups. Syria's post-Assad leader came from one such group and was welcomed at the White House in 2025.
The US provided bombs, refueling, and targeting intelligence for Saudi Arabia's air campaign. The UN estimates 377,000 dead by 2022 – most from famine and disease caused by the war.
The US supplied tens of thousands of bombs and vetoed multiple UN ceasefire resolutions as Israel killed over 70,000 Palestinians. The ICJ found plausible genocide.
Total: 96 sources cited across all categories.
Found a gap, error, or misleading phrasing? Know of an intervention that should be included? I'd appreciate your corrections and suggestions.