During the "Reagan National Defense Forum" held in California last December, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stood up to announce to those present that the United States is building a "more lethal" force in the Indian and Pacific oceans, and that it will not allow China to dominate that region.

In a more clear and detailed interview, the US Secretary said that China is the only country that has the growing will to reshape its region and the international system as it suits it, and that Washington "will not allow this to happen."

According to the Pentagon's definition of a military base, it is "any specified geographic location in which there are individual plots of land or designated facilities that are under the jurisdiction of, owned, or leased to a component of the Department of Defense on behalf of the United States."

In this report, we review the American military presence in the region surrounding China and its neighboring countries, or what is known as the Indian and Pacific Oceans region.

arc around China

The American forces maintain about 835 military bases in more than 80 countries in the world, and the tasks of these bases vary between carrying out direct military duties or supporting and assisting.

Japan is home to 120 US military bases with about 50,000 military personnel, and thus ranks first in the world in this regard, followed by Germany with 119 bases, then South Korea, which has 73 bases.

The United States confirms strengthening the arc of its military deployment around China, and this is evident through the publication of its national security strategy, in which China has been classified as the most dangerous geopolitical challenge, while Russia has been classified as an "urgent security threat."

Washington's steps in this regard are not hidden, as it recently signed a deal to build 4 new military bases in the Philippines, which is geographically closest to Taiwan, at an estimated distance of 1,200 km.

The islands of the Pacific and Indian oceans have also turned into a powder keg that is filling up at record speed, with Beijing and Washington accumulating a huge amount of military bases and weapons of various kinds.

US Command in the Indian and Pacific Oceans

This region extends over about half of the Earth's surface, and includes the area from the western coast of the United States to the western border of India, and from Antarctica to the North Pole.

This region includes about 375,000 personnel, including civilians and military personnel, and falls under the responsibility of the US command in the Indian and Pacific Oceans region.

And fall under the command of this command - according to the US Department of Defense website - 4 military commands, which are:

  • US Pacific Fleet

  • US Air Force in the Pacific

  • US Army in the Pacific

  • US Navy forces in the Pacific

As for the US Pacific Fleet, it includes about 200 ships, including 5 aircraft carriers, about 1,100 warplanes, and more than 130,000 marines and civilians.

The number of Marine Corps forces in the Pacific - which includes two marine reconnaissance forces - is approximately 86 thousand soldiers, and it has 640 aircraft at its disposal.

As for the US Air Force in the Pacific, it includes about 46,000 air forces and civilians, and more than 420 aircraft.

The US Army forces in the Pacific include about 106,000 soldiers and more than 300 aircraft.

It should be noted that the forces affiliated with the command include more than 1,200 members of the Special Forces.

The number of US Department of Defense civilian employees in the Indo-Pacific Command area is about 38,000.

Yokosuka base in Tokyo Bay, the most important US base in Japan (Getty Images)

Japan

Japan includes the largest number of US military personnel, and the US Air Force has included dozens of helicopters, tactical combat aircraft and surveillance aircraft, to its military bases scattered in the country.


The most important of these rules:

  • Base "Futenma" on the island of Okinawa: a base for the Marine Corps includes a group of surveillance and spy planes and a group of combat aircraft.

  • Kadena Air Force Base: The largest US air base in the Pacific Ocean, referred to as the cornerstone of the Pacific Ocean.

  • Misao Air Base on Honshu Island: It is a joint base between Japan and the United States, and it is a space control base.

  • Tori base in Okinawa: belonging to the US Army and a base station in Japan.

  • Atsugi Naval Base in Kanagawa: The largest US Navy installation in the Pacific Ocean, and the first US naval facility in Japan.

  • Misawa Naval Air Force Base on Honshu Island: The US Air Force participates in this base. It is a support base, ammunition, fuel and intelligence station.

South Korea

Most of the American bases in South Korea are air bases and camps for the Marine Corps, the most important of which are:

  • Kunsan Air Base: on the coast of the Yellow Sea, under the Air Force Command, 150 miles from Seoul.

  • Camp Carroll: It includes 1,200 soldiers from the US Army with a number of certain Korean soldiers within the US Army called "Katusa". The camp hosts civilian personnel from the US Department of Defense.

  • Camp Humphreys: The largest US base in terms of size and population in the world, located 54 miles from the capital, Seoul, in the Pyeongtaek region, on an area of ​​14.7 million square meters.

  • Camp Stanley: near the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas, and is considered part of Camp Red Cloud, and is affiliated with the capital, Seoul.

  • Casey Base: A special forces base representing the 2nd Infantry Division, one of the main bases used during the Korean War in counterattacks by the Chinese Volunteer Army.

  • Yeong-san: It is one of the most important US-run bases in South Korea.

The Philippines

The Philippines finally agreed to allow the US military to strengthen its presence in the country and gain access to 4 new military bases.

The two parties agreed to expand the agreement on access to military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), signed in 2014, which allows for an increased presence of US forces, aircraft and ships at Philippine military bases, as well as the construction of fuel and equipment storage facilities.

The EDCA agreement is the main pillar of the alliance between the United States and the Philippines, and in 2016 the US military was able to access 5 facilities under the agreement, namely:

  • Antonio Bautista Air Force Base: It is located near the provincial capital of Palawan, which enjoys a strategic location near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

  • El Pasa Air Base: The air base is located in Pampanga, about 40 miles northwest of the Philippine capital, Manila, and was originally built by the US Army Air Force before World War II.

  • Fort Magsaysay: in Nueva Ecija on the island of Lausanne, is the largest military installation in the Philippines, and one of the primary training camps for the Philippine Army.

  • Lumpia Air Base: The air base is located on the southern island of Mindanao, and it has a civilian airport.

  • Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Force Base in Cebu.

Singapore

There are American forces at the Sembawang facility in Singapore, which is a support base for the fleet in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and it is one of the newly established bases, as it was established in 1992.

In September 2020, Singapore and the United States signed an amendment to the original 1990 Memorandum of Understanding regarding the use of military facilities in Singapore.

Under the renewed agreement, the United States will have access to the facilities of the naval and air base in Singapore until 2035.

Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand

According to the World Beyond War website, which calls for an end to wars, these countries include some sites that are US military bases in light of the Pentagon's definition of military bases.

Guam has turned into one of the most powerful US strongholds (Reuters)

Guam base

Guam is one of the smallest inhabited islands of the United States in the Pacific Ocean, and it has become one of the most fortified strongholds of the US military.

Guam is the main pillar of the American defense front in the Pacific Ocean, and a launching pad for the American army towards China, Japan, the two Koreas and Taiwan.

All branches of the American armed forces have established bases for themselves on the small island, and have met with one goal, which is to contain the Chinese rise.

The US Air Force is based at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.

The base is home to the 36th Wing of the Air Force, and occupies nearly 18,000 acres of space, accommodating up to 193 aircraft.

The US Air Force is the most prominent user of the island as a staging post, both for forces operating in the surrounding area, and for air-to-air refueling aircraft to assist planes crossing the vast Pacific Ocean.

As for the US Navy, it bases its naval base in Guam in the port of Abra, which is the farthest anchorage for US forces in the west of the country.

Hawaii

There are approximately 40,000 military personnel in the US Hawaiian Islands, which is the headquarters of the US Pacific Command, which covers about half of the Earth's surface, including the entire Asia-Pacific region.

The US Seventh Fleet includes about 70 warships (Reuters)

Seventh Fleet

Headquartered in Japan, the Seventh Fleet is the largest of the navies deployed with approximately 50 to 70 ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and nearly 20,000 sailors across the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

The fleet includes 14 destroyers and warships, some of which are armed to intercept ballistic missiles, long-range Tomahawk missiles, and anti-aircraft missiles.

There are also approximately 12 nuclear powered submarines.