US Military Bases

NATO’s Europe Redeployment: Political Opportunism or Sound Military Strategy?

cc US Army Flickr, modified, A U.S. Army Paladin assigned to Battery C, 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas, stands ready to fire during training at Hohenfels, Germany Jan. 22, 2018. The 2nd ABCT is among the units from 10 nations participating in Allied Spirit VIII, a multinational exercise designed to test participants' readiness and build upon existing relationships. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Dustin D. Biven., public domain

Evaluating the motives, impacts, and strategic consequences of President Trump’s recent decision to shake up the US military footprint in Europe.

Will US Troops End Up Stationed in Iraqi Kurdistan?

cc Flickr The U.S. Army, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

What might seem like an appealing option to US military planners is actually fraught with its own geopolitical perils.

Is China Trying to Draw the United States into Imperial Overstretch?

cc Flickr Official U.S. Navy Page, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

In its competition with the United States, Beijing might be attempting to win without firing a shot.

After Duterte Scraps VFA, What’s Next for the US-Philippine Alliance?

130627-N-YU572-174 SUBIC BAY, Philippines (June 27, 2013) - Sailors and Marines disembark landing craft utility (LCU) 1633 to support Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Philippines 2013. More than 600 Sailors and Marines are participating in CARAT Philippines 2013. U.S. Navy ships participating in CARAT Philippines include the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), with embarked Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7 staff, the amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) with embarked U.S. Marine Corps landing force, and the diving and salvage vessels USNS Safeguard (T-ARS 50) and USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52) with embarked Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1. CARAT is a series of bilateral military exercises between the U.S. Navy and the armed forces of Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor Leste. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jay C. Pugh) (RELEASED), cc Flickr Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

The Visiting Forces Agreement was the glue that held the US-Philippines security relationship together.

The Bering Strait: A New Chokepoint for Great Power Competition

The attack submarine USS Annapolis (SSN 760) rests in the Arctic Ocean after surfacing through three feet of ice during Ice Exercise 2009 on March 21, 2009. The two-week training exercise, which is used to test submarine operability and war-fighting capability in Arctic conditions, also involves the USS Helena (SSN 725), the University of Washington and personnel from the Navy Arctic Submarine Laboratory. DoD photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Tiffini M. Jones, U.S. Navy. (Released), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Annapolis_ICEX.jpg

The Northern Sea Route through the Arctic will alter global trade flows and in doing so create new geopolitical chokepoints. Chief among them is the Bering Strait, where US, Russian, and Chinese interests converge.

Djibouti’s Attempts to Vanquish Dubai Ports Operator Spells Trouble for Washington

180327-N-TK936-6957 PORT OF DJIBOUTI, Djibouti (March 27, 2018) Members of Task Group (TG) 68.6 sets a security screening zone on the Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Lenthall (T-AO 189) while operating in the Horn of Africa, March 27, 2018. TG 68.6 is forward-deployed to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations and conducts joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Eu-rope and Africa. (U.S. Navy photo by Master at Arms 2nd Class Theresa Mullis/Released), cc Flickr modified, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet

If Doraleh port goes the way of Hambantota in Sri Lanka and is ceded to China for non-payment of debt, the United States sprawling Camp Lemonnier could be rendered militarily unviable.

America’s Chinese Headache in the Horn of Africa

cc Flickr U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. Fifth Fleet, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

US economic and political influence is waning in the Horn of Africa, and that’s bad news for civil society there.

Pence Snub Reveals North Korea Strategy at Work

cc Bjørn Christian Tørrissen , modified, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korean_cult_of_personality#/media/File:Mansudae-Monument-Bow-2014.jpg

It didn’t take a gold medal for North Korea to score a major victory at the Olympics.

Forecast Calls for ‘Sunshine’ on the Korean Peninsula

park, cc Flickr Republic of Korea, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

The fall of South Korea President Park Geun-hye has opened the door for major geopolitical shifts in East Asia.

Backgrounder: The North Korea Threat

a US THAAD launcher, public domain, US Army - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_first_of_two_Terminal_High_Altitude_Area_Defense_(THAAD)_interceptors_is_launched_during_a_successful_intercept_test_-_US_Army.jpg

North Korea’s recent missile test underscores the growing threat posed by the “Hermit Kingdom” to East Asian security. In responding to it, the Trump administration only has bad options to pick from.

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