Bruner, Edward F.

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Order Code RS20649Updated January 30, 2007U.S. Military Dispositions: Fact SheetEdward F. BrunerSpecialist in Foreign AffairsForeign Affairs, Defense, and Trade DivisionThe United States maintains a global military presence to support foreign policy andmilitary strategy.  Representation ranges from one Marine in Sierra Leone to an ArmyCorps in Germany, and is found in 144 nations.  In some countries, presence is maintainedcontinuously and service members are assigned tours of one to three years.  In othercountries, there may be short term deployments of units or teams in response toemergencies or training opportunities.  This report describes the worldwide distributionof U.S. military personnel and related concerns of Congress.  It will be updated quarterly.The table below is a snapshot of active duty military distribution compiled by theDepartment of Defense (DOD) for June 30, 2006.  These statistics are normally publishedquarterly — on any given day exact numbers differ.  Rotation of replacement personneland units occurs regularly at traditional overseas bases, while one-time spikes can occuranywhere the United States may be involved in a crisis situation.  In 1996, for example,there were 15,000 U.S. soldiers deployed in Bosnia — but today there are 256.  On anyday, also, many military personnel are afloat on ships.  On this day, there were 126,613men and women at sea or in temporary ports, included and distributed throughout theterritorial waters of the United States and the several regions shown in the table.Geographic Distribution of U.S. Military Personnel (AD)aTotal Number on Active Duty 1,381,401United States and Territories b 1,092,586Europe and Former Soviet Union b 97,658East Asia and Pacific b 78,369Africa, Near East, and South Asia b 8,254Western Hemisphere (excluding USA) 2,112Undistributed b 102,422Source:  DOD, Worldwide Manpower Distribution by Geographical Area, June 30, 2006Notes: aComparable data  not available for  Reserve Components; however, on Jan.24,2007, there were 91,344 RC personnel called to Active Duty (OASD-RA).bIncluded are those assigned AD troops now deployed with the 203,700 AD,Reserve, and National Guard members of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedomin Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan who are undistributed or accounted for in theUnited States, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and United Kingdom. CRS-2Forward Presence.  Forward presence remains an important component of U.S.military strategy; in the Cold War it supported containment, but now it primarily supportsregional stability and the Global War on Terrorism.  Advantages derived: assures friendsand allies of U.S. commitments; deters potential regional aggressors; places forces closerto crisis response sites; and, provides a physical and human infrastructure for globalmilitary response capabilities.  Disadvantages: additional costs to maintain forcesoverseas (personnel and operating costs 10-20% above Continental U.S.); may make iteasier to act or be expected to act as “world policeman”; adds to “over commitment” ofdownsized forces; and, potential to attract political or environmental complaints. Trends.  After the Cold War ended,  overall size of the U.S. Armed Forces  declinedwhile operating tempo increased.  The number of forces permanently stationed overseasdeclined — especially in Europe.  Whereas 33% of the Army was stationed overseas in1989, the figure is now 16% (not including deployments – now 24% in Iraq, Kuwait, andAfghanistan).  The Clinton Administration decided to stabilize U.S. presence in Europeat about 100,000 troops, down from 300,000 in the past.  Presence in the Pacific regionwas also stabilized at about 100,000 focused in volatile Northeast Asia, where some30,000 troops are  in South Korea and 34,000 in Japan.  (The Bush Administration is inthe process of changing the global stationing posture.)  While such presence stationing isnormal and expected by individual uniformed personnel, temporary deployments forhumanitarian or peacekeeping purposes,  joint and combined training, and actual conflictsincreased after the Cold War and remain high. Units for these missions  come from bothoverseas and stateside bases.  Today, U.S. activities include land, water, and air operationsin and around Iraq, former Yugoslavia, Korea, Afghanistan, and other areas critical to theWar on Terrorism.Costs and Burdensharing.  Overseas presence and engagement commitments raisequestions about costs.  Broad questions involve how much the nation should devote tomaintaining influence abroad and world-power capabilities and whether there are cheaperways to do so.  The United States has already shifted emphasis from forward presence topower projection.  Cost savings from bringing forces home may be reduced by the needto compensate with greater airlift, sealift, and pre-positioning.  Because U.S. presence isnormally in the interest of both the host nation and the United States, there has often beenpressure to have hosts pay more of the costs.  For analysis of these complicated issues, seeCRS Report 95-726, Defense Budget: Alternative Measures of Costs of MilitaryCommitments Abroad,  and CRS Report 94-515, Defense Burdensharing: Is Japan’s HostNation Support a Model for Other Allies?, both by Stephen Daggett.  Congressional Actions.  Since  late in the Cold War, Congress has set ceilings onU.S. forward presence primarily by limiting the numbers of troops ashore allowed inEurope — currently 100,000.  In the defense authorization act for FY1999 (P.L. 105-261),Congress again directed the President to seek increased burdensharing by each nation thathas cooperative military relations with the United States.  Congress authorized, but didnot require, several measures that the President could use to encourage nations to increasesuch efforts.  For FY2001 (H.R. 4205), Congress  directed GAO to study costs andbenefits for U.S. military activities in Europe — see  reports GAO-02-174 and GAO-02-99.  Congress established an Overseas Basing Commission to study the BushAdministration’s rebasing plans; it reported in May 2005 (see[http://fido.gov/obc/default.asp]).  Temporary deployments by the President may bereported to Congress under provisions of the War Powers Act.  

U.S. Military Dispositions: Fact Sheet

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U.S. Military Dispositions: Fact Sheet

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