The United States had more than 230,000 military personnel on permanent assignment at overseas bases as of mid-2004, according to Pentagon figures. Those numbers excluded roughly 145,000 troops then deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Europe accounted for the largest regional total, with about 117,000 personnel assigned there. Germany alone hosted more than 75,000 troops, including units of the 1st Infantry and 1st Armored divisions, as well as Ramstein Air Base. Italy, Britain, Spain, Türkiye, Iceland, and Portugal each hosted smaller contingents, ranging from about 1,000 to 13,300.
In East Asia, Japan based an estimated 45,000 U.S. personnel, more than half of them on Okinawa. The 7th Fleet operates from Yokosuka, the only homeport outside the United States for a permanently deployed carrier strike group. South Korea hosted 37,500 troops, though the Pentagon proposed reducing that figure to 25,000.
In the Gulf region, roughly 7,000 personnel were permanently assigned, including 3,400 in Qatar and 1,500 in Bahrain. About 19,000 troops remained in Afghanistan. Approximately 2,500 personnel were attached to U.S. Southern Command, covering Latin America and the Caribbean.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in August 2004, in its own words.