Anytime there’s a discussion around global military power, the conversation usually veers toward the things that grab our attention the most: massive aircraft carriers, undetectable stealth fighters, and military technology in general. The infrastructure that actually makes all of that possible — things like the locations where all this advanced equipment is stored, serviced, fueled, and kept on standby — military bases — is often ignored.
While establishing military and air bases inside one’s own territory is no big feat, what differentiates a simple sovereign nation from a formidable military power is the ability to project its military power far beyond its immediate borders. Major military powers usually do this by establishing military bases (including air bases) in regions far from their homeland.
Several countries maintain air bases outside their national territory. The United Kingdom has a handful of permanent overseas RAF air bases, primarily located in British Overseas Territories such as Cyprus, the Falklands, Gibraltar, and Ascension Island. France also operates a few overseas air bases, mostly around Africa and the Middle East, while Russia has foreign air bases scattered across former Soviet states and a handful of active conflict zones. China has one publicly known airbase in Djibouti, while India, until recently, operated one airbase in Tajikistan.
But these all pale in comparison to the United States. Using unclassified data from the U.S. Department of Defense and the Congressional Research Service, we determined that the United States operates more than 120 overseas military bases and sites worldwide. Of these, 29 are formally designated Air Bases, with dozens more overseas facilities that can be used to fly, land, and maintain aircraft.
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Counting Air Force Bases is more complicated than it sounds
A U.S. Fighter jet at an U.S. Air Base in Japan – Zhicheng Qin/Getty Images
Military and air force bases are strategic assets, so information is often classified, and many sites are located in obscure, inaccessible places. Then there is the confusion around what really constitutes an air base. The Congressional Research Service report clearly marks air bases separately, but also includes facilities like Marine Corps Air Stations and Naval Air Facilities, which can have the capability to land planes and maintain aircraft, but are not formally classified as air bases. Nevertheless, if we manually count the facilities officially listed as air bases (marked as “AB” in the Congressional Research Service report, and also labeled as an Airbase), we arrive at a total of 29 overseas U.S. air bases that were active at the time the report was published.
Here’s how these airbases are split by region. In the Indo-Pacific region, there are a total of 7 air bases spread across Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. Moving to Europe, there are a total of 9 US Air Bases spread across the continent. Then there is the Middle East, which has the greatest concentration of U.S. Airbases with a total of 10 active sites spread across the region. Africa hosts two U.S. air bases, both in Niger. In South and Central America, the U.S. hosts a single site that is classified as an Air Base.
If we expand our definition of an airbase beyond what the CRS report says and add sites capable of handling aircraft operations to the list, the number jumps from 29 air bases to anywhere between 60 and 80 sites with an active runway.
Why the U.S. has so many airbases, and why others don’t
A fleet of US Air Force F-15E’s stationed at an U.S. Air Base in Greece, Europe – Kostas Alkousis/Shutterstock
The reason for the massive difference in the number of overseas airbases operated by the U.S. compared to other countries comes down to one basic fact. The United States tailors its military strategy to its global ambitions, whereas other countries view air bases as a way to strengthen regional dominance and project power in a limited area. An example of this is China, which has been trying to strengthen its military presence in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, regions geographically close to China. The country does not have military interests outside of this sphere of influence as of now, although as an emerging power, that could change in the future.
From a U.S. perspective, its overseas air bases let the country deploy aircraft without having to rely on long-range sorties from the mainland. It also serves as a deterrent to adversaries who may intend to cause harm to U.S. allies or U.S. interests in the region. This is evident from the location of US Air Bases in various regions. Its bases in Europe support NATO operations in the region and serve as a deterrent to Russia, while its bases in the Middle East help the U.S. maintain its influence across the region. In the Indo-Pacific region, U.S. Airbases let the country keep a close watch on China, which claims the economically important island of Taiwan, a close U.S. ally, leading to rising tensions.
All things said, as of 2026, the conclusion is clear. The United States operates the only truly global overseas air base network in existence today.
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