American military bases around the world

 How many American military bases are scattered around the world?

The United States operates an estimated 750 to 800 military bases scattered across approximately 80 foreign countries and territories. This vast global network makes up roughly 70% to 85% of all foreign military bases in the world. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Classification of Bases

The Department of Defense categorizes these overseas installations into two primary types: [1, 2]

• Large Bases: Installations larger than 10 acres or worth more than $10 million, typically housing over 200 personnel. These make up about 60% of foreign locations. [1]
• Small Bases ("Lily Pads"): Cooperative security locations or forward operating sites that are smaller or lower in value. These provide flexible, rapid-access points. [1]

Top Host Countries

The highest concentrations of American military installations are located in the following nations: [1, 2, 3]

Country [1, 2]	Approximate Number of Base Sites	Active-Duty Troops Assigned
Japan	~120	~54,000
Germany	~119	~36,000
South Korea	~73	~23,000
Italy	~44	Varies

Overall Military Footprint

When including domestic facilities inside the United States, the Department of Defense manages a total of 4,790 military sites consisting of roughly 568,000 individual structures worldwide. [1, 2]

The largest American military bases depend on whether they are measured by population or by physical land area. [1]

Largest Bases by Population

These bases are effectively self-sustaining cities, supporting tens of thousands of personnel, families, and civilians. [1, 2, 3]

• Fort Bragg (Fort Liberty) (North Carolina): The largest military base in the world by population. It houses over 54,000 active-duty service members and supports a total community of roughly 260,000 people. It serves as the primary hub for U.S. Airborne and Special Operations Forces. [1, 2, 3]
• ⁠Fort Hood (Fort Cavazos) (Texas): The second-largest base by population, spanning over 218,000 acres and supporting a community of 200,000 to 250,000 soldiers, family members, and civilians. [1]
• Naval Station Norfolk (Virginia): The world’s largest naval base. It supports an operational population of 46,000 active-duty personnel and 20,000 civilians, serving as the main homeport for the Atlantic Fleet, including four carrier strike groups. [1]⁠Camp Humphreys (South Korea): The largest U.S. military base located outside the United States. Located in Pyeongtaek, it acts as the headquarters for United States Forces Korea. It covers 14.7 million square meters and accommodates over 23,000 troops and personnel. [1, 2]
• Largest Bases by Land Area
  Many of the largest facilities by acreage are training grounds, testing centers, and missile ranges located in the wide-open spaces of the American West. [1]
  
  

  Nellis Air Force Range / NTTR (Nevada): The largest military training area in the United States, covering a massive 2.9 million acres of land alongside 4,531 square miles of restricted airspace. [1]

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  White Sands Missile Range (New Mexico): Spanning roughly 3,200 square miles (over 2 million acres) in southern New Mexico, it is the largest military installation by directly owned Department of Defense acreage. [1, 2]

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  Fort Bliss (Texas/New Mexico): The largest contiguous tactical Army base, controlling over 1.3 million acres when combining owned and leased training land (an area larger than the state of Rhode Island). [, 2]