Military Facilities

commentary

Why Overseas Military Bases Continue to Make Sense for the United States

Voices on the left and right have proposed downsizing America's overseas military footprint. While the merits of basing in a particular location should be open to debate, the underlying twin logics of deterrence and reassurance behind permanently stationing American forces overseas remain operationally, economically, and strategically as sound as ever.

Raphael S. Cohen

commentary

There's Still Life in the U.S.-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced that he would terminate the U.S.-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). Washington and Manila have until August 9 to save it or negotiate a new VFA to avert any further alliance crisis.

Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman

q&a

Thinking Outside the Grid: Q&A with Anu Narayanan

Anu Narayanan, an engineer at RAND, is a specialist in what-ifs. Her research focuses on critical infrastructure and national security. In this interview, she discusses her latest work that explores what would happen if a cyberattacker tried to take down the power grid.

commentary

Can Iraq Evict U.S. Forces?

The Iraqi parliament voted to expel U.S. troops from Iraq. This vote was nonbinding, and the Iraqi caretaker government cannot pass laws, but it does indicate that a majority in parliament wants U.S. forces to leave.

Stacie L. Pettyjohn

commentary

The Ramifications of China's Reported Naval Base in Cambodia

China and Cambodia have reportedly signed a secret agreement allowing the Chinese navy to use a military facility near Ream, along Cambodia's southern coast, though both countries deny the reports. The installation of a Chinese military facility in Cambodia, if realized, would further complicate an already sensitive and tense situation in the region.

Timothy R. Heath

commentary

A Ruling from the Hague Threatens a U.S. and British Military Base in Asia

A remote and obscure tropical atoll in the Indian Ocean would seem an unlikely stage for the latest act of the United Kingdom's unfolding Brexit drama and the newest challenge to U.S. global power projection. But a nonbinding verdict in The Hague calls into question the legitimacy of the UK's administration and the major U.S. military presence on the islands' largest atoll, Diego Garcia.

James Black

commentary

'Cost Plus 50' Explained

The Trump administration may be considering requiring host nations to subsidize the entire cost of the U.S. military presence and pay an additional 50 percent of that amount. This type of transactional foreign policy increases the risk that countries will rethink their agreements to host U.S. forces, and that could reduce the U.S. military's ability to operate globally.

Stacie L. Pettyjohn

essay

An Inside Look at Life in the Army's Junior Ranks

History records the names of generals, not of the privates filling out supply forms, cleaning out trucks, or huffing through another training exercise. But those privates keep the U.S. Army running. RAND research provides their unfiltered take on life in the ranks.

commentary

Lowdown on Pyeongtaek Garrison

Camp Humphreys will become the major U.S. base in Korea. In terms of North Korean threats, the camp is roughly 100 kilometers from the Demilitarized Zone. Some North Korean ballistic missiles could cause damage at Camp Humphreys if it's targeted.

Bruce W. Bennett @bwbennett

commentary

Making BRAC Politically Palatable

Taxpayer dollars have been used for decades to maintain bases that should have been realigned or closed. If policymakers would like more efficient use of defense dollars, they might consider allowing new rounds of Base Realignment and Closure.

Christopher M. Schnaubelt

commentary

Why the Pentagon Can't Bypass BRAC

By trying to cut Congress out of the loop and bypass the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC), the Pentagon is more likely to antagonize Capitol Hill and undermine its efforts to make sensible cuts in defense spending.

Stacie L. Pettyjohn

commentary

Should the U.S. Move the Marines to Guam?

The option to permanently base Marines on Guam should hinge on the benefits of the location and the costs. Guam scores poorly on both counts and better options exist. However, previous guidance provided to the Marine Corps constrains consideration of such options.

Michael J. Lostumbo

commentary

The Battle of Futenma Isn't Over Yet

Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima's decision to grant the permit to build a U.S. Marine Corps airbase on an offshore landfill near the village of Henoko village is being hailed as an important breakthrough in U.S.-Japanese relations. Yet this is wishful thinking, says Stacie L. Pettyjohn.

Stacie L. Pettyjohn

commentary

UXOs at Closing U.S. Bases

Published commentary by RAND staff.

Debra Knopman, Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson

commentary

US Troop Withdrawals Costly to Alliances

Published commentary by RAND staff.

Robert E. Hunter

commentary

Unexploded Munitions in U.S.

Published commentary by RAND staff.

Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson