I always ask two questions: How many countries have military bases in the United States? And in how many countries does the United States not have military bases?
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
There are many people who do not know if the U.S. Army has 60,000 men or 6 million. They do not have a clue about that.
Every country where the the United States maintains troops has a status of forces agreement.
Except for naval and air exercises, our military should be stationed on American soil, where service men and women can lead normal lives in close proximity to family and friends.
A military base in a country like Afghanistan is also a web of relationships, a hub for the local economy, and a key player in the political ecosystem.
The United States is not overdeployed or overextended with deployments in 150 countries on any given year. On any given week we have about 65 deployments.
More than 48 million men and women have served America well and faithfully in military uniform.
The United States is a violent military state. It's been involved in military action all over the place.
If there's a country, and it's dangerous, and we deploy a U.S.military man or woman, if there's only one there, and they never leave the capital, that is 'boots on the ground.'
Afghanistan does have an air force: It has two C-130s. I saw one of them. It was nice, a gift from the United States. But two planes don't even make a Caribbean charter airline, let alone an air force for a country at war.
It's clear that the United States has more to give the world than military bases.