question: Why do the powerful countries (namely US) have military bases in almost every country, but there are no other military bases here?
comment: We have a military significantly larger than most other countries combined (in total the Earth has 21 aircraft carriers, 11 of them belong to the U.S.), so other countries have a lot to gain from letting us help protect them. Meanwhile the U.S. really wouldn't gain anything by having foreign armies on our soil, and in fact it would hurt our national identity to a degree. The whole point of our second amendment is that an armed populace can protect the homeland. Love that or hate, believe in it or not, that "we can take care of ourselves" attitude is a key part of the American spirit.
passages: BULLET::::- – Ali Al Salem Air Base; Camp Arifjan; Camp Buehring; Kuwait Naval Base
  
  BULLET::::- – Volkel Air Base; USCG Activities Europe
  
  BULLET::::- – Niger Air Base 201
  
  BULLET::::- – Marine Corps garrison at Værnes Air Station
  
  BULLET::::- – RAFO Masirah; RAFO Thumrait (South of Oman)
  
  BULLET::::- – Antonio Bautista Air Base; Basa Air Base; Fort Magsaysay; Lumbia Air Base; Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base
  
  BULLET::::- – Lajes Field
  
  BULLET::::- – Al Udeid Air Base
  
  BULLET::::- – 64th Air Expeditionary Group (inactive since 2014)
  
  BULLET::::- – Paya Lebar Air Base
  
  BULLET::::- – United States Forces Korea
   List of countries with overseas military bases
  
  This is a list of countries with overseas military bases. 
  
  Section::::Background.
   Outside of the United States, some countries are strongly vying for inclusion in strategic treaties such as NATO. These countries, many of which are in Eastern Europe, want to join NATO for the mutual advantages of defense and the possibility for foreign bases to be constructed on their soil. These bases, if they were to be built, would bring fiscal resources that those nations would not get without the bases. Sometimes foreign bases are viewed as a good thing. In other regions, a strong political stance may be taken against the construction of foreign military bases, often for sovereignty issues.
   Altogether, 77,917 military personnel are located in Europe, 141 in the former Soviet Union, 47,236 in East Asia and the Pacific, 3,362 in North Africa, the Near East and South Asia, 1,355 in sub-Saharan Africa and 1,941 in the Western Hemisphere excluding the United States itself.
  
  Section::::Personnel.:Stationing.:Domestic.
  
  "Including U.S. territories and ships afloat within territorial waters"
   BULLET::::- – Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
  
  BULLET::::- (Netherlands) – US Air Force Forward Operating Base
  
  BULLET::::- – Camp Lemonnier
  
  BULLET::::- – US Army installations in Germany; Panzer Kaserne; Ramstein Air Base; Spangdahlem Air Base
  
  BULLET::::- – Naval Support Activity Souda Bay
  
  BULLET::::- (Denmark) – Thule Air Base
  
  BULLET::::- – Soto Cano Air Base
  
  BULLET::::- – Naval Air Station Keflavik
  
  BULLET::::- – Dimona Radar Facility
  
  BULLET::::- – Caserma Ederle-Caserma Del Din; Darby Military Community; Naval Air Station Sigonella; Naval Support Activity Naples; Aviano Air Base
  
  BULLET::::- – United States Forces Japan
  
  BULLET::::- (disputed by Serbia) – Camp Bondsteel
   BULLET::::- Turkey has more than 20 military and intelligence bases in two provinces of Erbil and Dohuk of Iraqi Kurdistan.
  
  BULLET::::- – A base with 3000 personnel.
  
  BULLET::::- – Camp TURKSOM with 200 personnel (could increase to over 1000).
  
  BULLET::::- – Bases in Al-Bab, Al-Rai, Akhtarin and Jarablus with unknown number of personnel. New bases were followed at Atme and Darat Izza.
  
  Section::::United Arab Emirates.
  
  BULLET::::- - Military base in Assab used for intervention in Yemen.
  
  BULLET::::- - The UAE maintains a forward operating base at the Al-Khadim Airport, near Marj.
  
  BULLET::::- – Military base in the Port of Berbera.
   BULLET::::- List of air stations of the Royal Navy
  
  BULLET::::- List of Royal Navy shore establishments
  
  BULLET::::- List of airfields of the Army Air Corps
  
  BULLET::::- List of army barracks around Aldershot
  
  BULLET::::- List of UK Thor missile bases
  
  BULLET::::- British Forces Germany
  
  Section::::United States.
  
  BULLET::::- List of United States Air Force installations
  
  BULLET::::- List of United States Army installations
  
  BULLET::::- List of United States Navy installations
  
  BULLET::::- List of United States Marine Corps installations
  
  BULLET::::- List of United States Coast Guard stations
  
  BULLET::::- List of United States Army installations in Afghanistan
  
  BULLET::::- List of joint US-Bulgarian military bases
   BULLET::::- Al-Anbar Governorate
  
  BULLET::::- Al Asad Airbase
  
  BULLET::::- Camp Habbaniyah
  
  BULLET::::- Baghdad Governorate
  
  BULLET::::- Camp Taji
  
  BULLET::::- Camp Victory
  
  BULLET::::- Duhok Governorate
  
  BULLET::::- Atrush Field
  
  BULLET::::- Erbil Governorate
  
  BULLET::::- Bashur near Harir
  
  BULLET::::- Erbil International Airport
  
  BULLET::::- Harir
  
  BULLET::::- Kirkuk Governorate
  
  BULLET::::- Kirkuk Air Base
  
  BULLET::::- Nineveh Governorate
  
  BULLET::::- Kariz near Zummar
  
  BULLET::::- Qayyarah Airfield West
  
  BULLET::::- Saladin Governorate
  
  BULLET::::- Balad Air Base
  
  Section::::By location.:Joint.:Joint overseas.:Niger.
   BULLET::::- - MCAS Beaufort (training base), Creech Air Force Base, Edwards Air Force Base, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay (Trident Facility)
  
  Section::::United States.
  
  BULLET::::- – Camp Dwyer; Forward Operating Base Delhi; Forward Operating Base Geronimo; Firebase Fiddler's Green
  
  BULLET::::- – Pine Gap; Marine Rotational Force - Darwin
  
  BULLET::::- – Naval Support Activity Bahrain; Isa Air Base
  
  BULLET::::- – Chièvres Air Base; Kleine Brogel Air Base
  
  BULLET::::- – United States Naval Support Detachment, São Paulo
  
  BULLET::::- (Mauritius) – Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia
  
  BULLET::::- – Aitos Logistics Center; Bezmer Air Base; Graf Ignatievo Air Base; Novo Selo Range
   BULLET::::- Other US bases in Australia are present and this list does not include ADF bases with US access. The US military has access to all major ADF training areas, northern Australian RAAF airfields, port facilities in Darwin and Fremantle, and highly likely future access to an expanded Stirling naval base in Perth, and the airfield on the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean.
  
  Section::::By location.:Joint.:Joint overseas.:Iraq.
  
  BULLET::::- There are approximately 5,500 U.S. Special Operations Forces in Iraq, spread across 7 different facilities, and another 5 bases in Iraqi Kurdistan, being used as training bases for Iraqi and Kurdish forces.
   United States officials moved to expand this version of containment into Asia, Africa, and Latin America, in order to counter revolutionary nationalist movements, often led by communist parties financed by the USSR, fighting against the restoration of Europe's colonial empires in South-East Asia and elsewhere. In this way, this US would exercise "preponderant power," oppose neutrality, and establish global hegemony. In the early 1950s (a period sometimes known as the "Pactomania"), the US formalized a series of alliances with Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and the Philippines (notably ANZUS in 1951 and SEATO in 1954), thereby guaranteeing the United States a number of long-term military bases.
   Section::::Overseas military base.
  
  An overseas military base is a military base that is geographically located outside of the territory of the country whose armed forces are the principal occupants of the base.
   BULLET::::- – Jägerbataillon 291 (part of Franco-German Brigade) in Illkirch-Graffenstaden near Strasbourg, École franco-allemande de formation des équipages Tigre in Le Cannet-des-Maures
  
  BULLET::::- – Germany has aircraft training facilities at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico and at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. (training base)
  
  Section::::Greece.
  
  BULLET::::- – Hellenic Force in Cyprus
  
  Section::::India.
  
  BULLET::::- – An Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT) is permanently stationed in western Bhutan.
  
  BULLET::::- - Coastal Surveillance Radar station.
  
  BULLET::::- - A listening post and a radar facility in northern Madagascar.
   BULLET::::- - Partial military base in the island of Socotra.
  
  Section::::United Kingdom.
  
  BULLET::::- – HMS Jufair Naval Base (HMNBJ)
  
  BULLET::::- – British Army Training and Support Unit Belize
  
  BULLET::::- – British Forces Brunei: Brunei Garrison
  
  BULLET::::- – British Army Training Unit Suffield
  
  BULLET::::- – RAF Troodos, RAF Akrotiri
  
  BULLET::::- – British Forces Germany: Westfalen Garrison
  
  BULLET::::- – British Army Training Unit Kenya
  
  BULLET::::- – British Gurkhas Nepal
  
  BULLET::::- – Bardufoss Air Station
  
  BULLET::::- – Naval Party 1022
  
  BULLET::::- – RAF Al Udeid
  
  BULLET::::- - Omani-British Joint Training Base; Duqm
  
  BULLET::::- - Al Minhad Air Base
   Following the end of the Cold War, which was the main rationale for their presence, the number of US facilities in the UK has been reduced in number in line with the US military worldwide. Despite this, these bases have been used extensively in support of various peacekeeping and offensive operations of the 1990s and early 21st century.
   Whilst the overall number of overseas military bases has fallen since 1945, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States still possess or utilize a substantial number. Smaller numbers of overseas military bases are operated by Australia, China, India, Italy, and Turkey.
  
  The United States is the largest operator of military bases abroad, with 38 "named bases" having active duty, national guard, reserve or civilian personnel as of September 30, 2014. Its largest, in terms of personnel, was Ramstein AB in Germany, with almost 9,200 personnel.
  
  Section::::Australia.
   BULLET::::- List of United States Army installations in Germany
  
  BULLET::::- List of United States Army installations in Italy
  
  BULLET::::- List of United States Army installations in Iraq
  
  BULLET::::- List of United States Army installations in Kosovo
  
  BULLET::::- List of United States Army installations in Kuwait
  
  BULLET::::- List of United States Army installations in South Korea
  
  Section::::NATO bases.
  
  "See "
  
  BULLET::::- SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) in Casteau, north of Mons (Belgium), since 1966 (before in Paris). SHAPE is since 2003 the headquarters of Allied Command Operations (ACO) controlling all allied operations worldwide.
   The United States is the largest operator of military bases abroad, with 38 "named bases" having active-duty, National Guard, reserve, or civilian personnel as of September 30, 2014. Its largest, in terms of personnel, is Ramstein AB, in Germany, with almost 9,200 personnel. The Pentagon stated in 2013 that there are "around" 5,000 bases total, with "around" 600 of them overseas.
  
  Section::::By location.
  
  Section::::By location.:Joint.
  
  BULLET::::- The Pentagon
  
  Section::::By location.:Joint.:Joint overseas.
  
  BULLET::::- War Reserve Stocks are located in many foreign states.
  
  Section::::By location.:Joint.:Joint overseas.:Australia.
  
  BULLET::::- Pine Gap - Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap (JDFPG), Alice Springs, Northern Territory.
   Lists of military installations
  
  This list of military installations consists of a collection of military related lists worldwide:
  
  BULLET::::- List of Australian military bases
  
  BULLET::::- List of Royal Australian Air Force installations
  
  BULLET::::- List of Royal Australian Navy bases
  
  BULLET::::- List of Brazilian military bases
  
  BULLET::::- List of Bulgarian military bases
  
  BULLET::::- List of Canadian Forces Bases
  
  BULLET::::- List of Chinese Air Force Bases
  
  BULLET::::- List of Danish Military Installations
  
  BULLET::::- List of Greek military bases
  
  BULLET::::- List of Honduran military bases
  
  BULLET::::- List of Indian Air Force bases
  
  BULLET::::- List of Irish military installations
   Security may dictate that the JSOTF not be on the ground of one of a country within the geographic region. Especially when the JSOTF has a significant naval component (e.g., while a direct action (DA) mission, Operation Prime Chance headquarters was afloat), the JSOTF headquarters may be afloat. Using advanced communications, the formal headquarters may stay in the United States, with a "forward" command post in the area of operations. Both of these choices can help deal with situations where it might be awkward for the host nation, or the nation hosting the government in exile, to have a U.S. headquarters on its soil.
   The use of overseas military base has throughout its history of usage been a contentious issue of debate, and is often a source of opposition for antimilitarists and nationalists in the host country. Such bases may be established by treaties between the governing power in the host country and another country which needs to establish the military base in the host country for various reasons, usually strategic and logistic.
   Large numbers of military bases are found all cross the country, including major ones in Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Balkh, Nangarhar, Khost, Paktia, Paktika, Maidan Wardak, Ghazni, Farah, and many other provinces. Some of these were built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) while others by ISAF and Afghans. It was reported in 2010 that there were at least 700 military bases inside Afghanistan but more were expected to be built in the coming years. About 400 of these were used by Americans and ISAF forces with the remaining 300 or so by Afghan National Security Forces.
   BULLET::::- – Ghat, Libya
  
  BULLET::::- – Sheppard Air Force Base (training base), Eglin Air Force Base (training base)
  
  Section::::Japan.
  
  BULLET::::- – Japan Self-Defense Force Base Djibouti
  
  Section::::Pakistan.
  
  BULLET::::- – 1,180 personnel in Tabuk and other bases in permanent training and advisory roles, under a 1982 agreement.
  
  Section::::Russia.
  
  BULLET::::- – Russian 102nd Military Base in Gyumri and the Russian 3624th Airbase in Erebuni Airport near Yerevan
  
  BULLET::::- – Hantsavichy Radar Station; Vileyka naval communication centre
  
  BULLET::::- – Russian 4th Military Base in disputed regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia (Russian 7th Military Base)
   An airbase, sometimes referred to as an "air station" or "airfield", provides basing and support of military aircraft. Some airbases, known as "military airports", provide facilities similar to their civilian counterparts. For example, RAF Brize Norton in the UK has a terminal which caters to passengers for the Royal Air Force's scheduled flights to the Falkland Islands. Some airbases are co-located with civilian airports, sharing the same ATC facilities, runways, taxiways and emergency services, but with separate terminals, parking areas and hangars. Bardufoss Airport, Bardufoss Air Station in Norway and Pune Airport in India are examples of this.
   BULLET::::- - Flying Training School (No. 130 Squadron) (training base); Oakey Army Aviation Centre (training base)
  
  BULLET::::- - Cazaux Air Base (training base)
  
  BULLET::::- - RNZAF Base Ohakea (training base)
  
  BULLET::::- - Mountain Home Air Force Base (training base); Luke Air Force Base (training base)
  
  Section::::Turkey.
  
  BULLET::::- – Buildings and structures in Gizil Sherg military town, and one terminal building located in the airfield in Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev settlement.
  
  BULLET::::- (disputed by the United Nations and all individual countries, with the exception of Turkey) – Cyprus Turkish Peace Force Command
  
  BULLET::::- A base with 2000 personnel.
  