Base Closings

Why aren't we discussing the closure of overseas bases? I'm almost positive the natives are not thrilled with armed foreigners trained to be aggressive in their midst. I'm almost positive keeping soldiers (and sometimes their families) overseas costs more than domestic garrisons. Department of Defense's overseas bases include some 800 locations ranging in size from radio relay sites to major airbases.

"The U.S. military has left behind a legacy of environmental problems throughout the world, giving rise to a multitude of complaints by host governments, community groups, and environmental organizations. In the Philippines, only after the U.S. military evacuated Subic Naval Station and Clark Air Base in 1992 did Filipinos discover what one U.S. official called a "horror story," including tons of toxic chemicals dumped on the ground and into the water, or buried in uncontrolled landfills. In Panama, 21 people already have died from explosions of ordnance left on firing ranges, prompting fears that more accidents will occur after the U.S. leaves. And in Germany, where half of all overseas U.S. troops are still stationed, industrial solvents, firefighting foams, and waste have destroyed local ecosystems near some military bases. The Army estimates that cleanup of all U.S.-caused soil and groundwater pollution overseas could cost more than $3 billion."Overseas Military Bases and Environment

This article America's Empire of Bases by Chalmers Johnson
is fascinating I think.