Why Not Abandon All Foreign Bases? By Laurence M. Vance
(2021-10-30 at 23:49:23 )

Why Not Abandon All Foreign Bases? By Laurence M. Vance

Neoconservatives-like Michael Rubin at the American Enterprise Institute ("The One Foreign Base Biden Should Abandon")-have not gotten over President Joe Bidens withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan.
But Mr. Rubin is also upset that "the Biden administration is determined to hold on to the one base that the United States of America should have abandoned a decade ago." This is Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.

Mr. Rubin maintains that during the Cold War, Incirlik was crucial. But even though "the base supported U-2 surveillance flights, United States operations during the 1958 Lebanon crisis, the 1991 liberation of Kuwait, and, most recently, the fight against the Taliban," Incirlik-which "also hosts approximately 50 nuclear weapons"-is "now a strategic liability" instead of "a strategic asset."

Turkey "is as much an enemy as an ally." President Erdogan cannot be trusted. "Every American serviceman, contractor, and family at Incirlik are potential hostages." "Incirlik now risks a repeat of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis." An American "departure from Incirlik" would not "affect U.S. operations." The United States should use the "Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in Romania" or the "Souda Bay Naval Base" in Greece. It would not be "irresponsible" to leave "an obsolete base."

Mr. Rubin is right. The United States needs to "end the U.S. military presence in Turkey."

But here is a better idea: Why not abandon all foreign bases??


According to the Department of Defenses (DOD) Base Structure Report: "The DoD manages a worldwide real property portfolio that spans all 50 states, 8 United States territories with outlying areas, and 45 foreign countries.

The majority of these foreign sites are located in Germany (194 sites), Japan (121 sites), and South Korea (83 sites)." Incredibly, the DOD is "one of the Federal governments larger holders of real estate managing a global real property portfolio that consists of over 585,000 facilities (buildings, structures, and linear structures), located on 4,775 sites worldwide and covering approximately 26.9 million acres."

The DOD has acknowledged the existence of about 800 U.S. military bases in 80 countries, but we know from the work of Nick Turse, David Vine, and the late Chalmers Johnson that that number could be over 1,000. The United States has about 95 percent of the worlds foreign military bases. "Red" China has just one.

There are also about 175,000 active duty United States troops overseas in over 170 countries and territories. World War II ended in 1945, and yet the United States still maintains tens of thousands of troops in Germany and Japan.

Why not abandon all foreign military bases, bring all of the troops home (not just the ones in Afghanistan), and stop policing the world? And while we are at it, turn over all of the DOD golf courses in Japan to the Japanese.

The United States global empire of bases and troops is unnecessary to the defense of the United States, a global force for evil, and a drain on United States taxpayers.

Its only purpose is to carry out an imperialistic, militaristic, reckless, belligerent, and meddling United States foreign policy that is not in the interest of the United States of American people.

Reprinted here with the permission of Mr. Laurence M. Vance and the Future of Freedom Foundation!! Please visit "Mr. Vances blog" at Lewrockwell.com and please visit his website "Vance Publications"!!