Learn More about Military Bases
Base Nation includes extensive citations to books, articles, films, and other materials about all the topics in the book. Below are some additional resources to learn more about U.S. military bases overseas and their impacts--including resources for veterans and their family members, locals, and others directly affected. Keep in mind that this is just a small sample focused mostly on English-language materials; there are many more important resources available worldwide. If you would like to suggest a resource to add (in any language) or if a link is broken, please email: vine [at] american [dot] edu
For a major report and the most comprehensive list of U.S. bases abroad available, produced with World BEYOND War's Patterson Deppen and Leah Bolger, see "Drawdown: Improving U.S. and Global Security Through Military Base Closures Abroad," Quincy Brief No. 16, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft/World BEYOND War, September 2021. The report's 2021 list of U.S. bases abroad, produced by Deppen, is available at https://quincyinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Overseas-Bases-List.xlsx.
For lists of U.S. bases abroad, from 1776–2021, see this spreadsheet: https://doi.org/10.17606/7em4-hb13
For the Pentagon's annual lists of bases, see this page hosting Base Structure Reports dating to 1957.
To learn about and join a growing number of people across the political spectrum interested in closing U.S. bases abroad, visit the Overseas Base Realignment and Closure Coalition's website: www.overseasbases.net
For photographs of bases from my research, find me on Instagram.
Check this out and help build a crowdsourced list of anti-base movements.
Additional information and articles about bases are at: http://www.davidvine.net/military-bases.html
My newest book shows how bases abroad have played a critical role in not just enabling the long history of U.S. wars but also in making wars more likely:The United States of War: A Global History of America's Endless Conflicts, from Columbus to the Islamic State.
For a major report and the most comprehensive list of U.S. bases abroad available, produced with World BEYOND War's Patterson Deppen and Leah Bolger, see "Drawdown: Improving U.S. and Global Security Through Military Base Closures Abroad," Quincy Brief No. 16, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft/World BEYOND War, September 2021. The report's 2021 list of U.S. bases abroad, produced by Deppen, is available at https://quincyinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Overseas-Bases-List.xlsx.
For lists of U.S. bases abroad, from 1776–2021, see this spreadsheet: https://doi.org/10.17606/7em4-hb13
For the Pentagon's annual lists of bases, see this page hosting Base Structure Reports dating to 1957.
To learn about and join a growing number of people across the political spectrum interested in closing U.S. bases abroad, visit the Overseas Base Realignment and Closure Coalition's website: www.overseasbases.net
For photographs of bases from my research, find me on Instagram.
Check this out and help build a crowdsourced list of anti-base movements.
Additional information and articles about bases are at: http://www.davidvine.net/military-bases.html
My newest book shows how bases abroad have played a critical role in not just enabling the long history of U.S. wars but also in making wars more likely:The United States of War: A Global History of America's Endless Conflicts, from Columbus to the Islamic State.
From David Vine, "No Bases? How Social Movements against U.S. Military Bases Abroad Are Challenging Militarization and Militarism," suppl. issue, “Cultures of Militarism,” edited by Catherine Besteman and Hugh Gusterson. Current Anthropology 60, supp. 19: S158-S172. Linked here and below.
From David Vine, "No Bases? How Social Movements against U.S. Military Bases Abroad Are Challenging Militarization and Militarism," suppl. issue, “Cultures of Militarism,” edited by Catherine Besteman and Hugh Gusterson. Current Anthropology 60, supp. 19: S158-S172.
List of Resources
General Resources
Base Websites (e.g. www.ramstein.af.mil): generally accessible online
Base Public Affairs Offices: contact information generally accessible online
Coalition against U.S. Foreign Military Bases: noforeignbases.org
Department of Defense “Base Structure Reports”: www.acq.osd.mil/ie
GlobalSecurity.org
MilitaryBases.com
Militarism Watch: forusa.org/groups/services/militarism-watch
Military Installations [Department of Defense]: www.militaryinstallations.dod.mil
“Mission Creep,” Mother Jones magazine series on foreign military bases
Security Assistance Monitor: www.securityassistance.org
Base Conversion and Alternatives
Base Tuono [Italy]: www.basetuono.it/en
Bonn International Center for Conversion: www.bicc.de
Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment: www.oea.gov
Institute for Policy Studies: www.ips-dc.org/projects/peace-economy-transitions
Presidio of San Francisco Trust: www.presidio.gov
Base Social Movements
Crowdsourced list of anti-base movements through time, including information about contemporary movements.
Coalition against U.S. Foreign Military Bases: noforeignbases.org
Japanese Peace Committee: http://j-peace.org/
Overseas Base Realignment and Closure Coalition: www.overseasbases.net
Transnational Institute: www.tni.org/archives/act/17124 and
www.tni.org/primer/foreign-military-bases-and-global-campaign-close-them
David Vine, "No Bases? How Social Movements against U.S. Military Bases Abroad Are Challenging Militarization and Militarism," suppl. issue, “Cultures of Militarism,” edited by Catherine Besteman and Hugh Gusterson. Current Anthropology 60, supp. 19: S158-S172.
Africa
America’s Codebook: Africa: codebookafrica.wordpress.com
"Camp Justice," Pivot TV (documentary about Diego Garcia and US bases abroad; also on iTunes)
Chagos Refugees Group [Diego Garcia]: chagosrefugeesgroup.org
Island of Shame: The Secret History of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia
"New Atlantis Project: A Story of the People of the Chagos Islands" [Diego Garcia]: newatlantisproject.com
Lalit de Klas [Mauritius/Diego Garcia]: www.lalitmauritius.org
Resist Africom
UK Chagos Support Association [Diego Garcia]: www.chagossupport.org.uk
Asia
Australia Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition: www.anti-bases.org
Close the Base [Okinawa]: closethebase.org
Ghosts of Jeju: www.theghostsofjeju.net
Independent and Peaceful Australia Network: http://www.ipan.org.au
Malalya Movement against Killings and Dictatorship and for Democracy in the Philippines: www.malayamovement.com
My Sister’s Place (Durebang) [South Korea]: durebang.org
National Campaign for Eradication of Crimes by U.S. Troops in Korea: www.usacrime.or.kr
No Base Stories Korea: nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com
Peace Philosophy Centre blog [Japan]: peacephilosophy.blogspot.com
ROK Drop blog: www.rokdrop.net
Save Jeju [South Korea]: www.savejeju.org and www.savejejunow.org
Save Life Center [Henoko, Okinawa]: www.geocities.jp/nobasehenoko
Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea: www.spark946.org
Takae blog [Okinawa]: takae.ti-da.net
US for Okinawa: us-for-okinawa.blogspot.com
Working Group for Peace, Demilitarization in Asia, Pacific: www.asiapacificinitiative.org
Europe
Antonio Mazzeo’s blog [Italy]: antoniomazzeoblog.blogspot.com
Bombspotting [Belgium]: www.vredesactie.be/en
Comitato Pace e Disarmo Campania [Naples, Italy]: www.pacedisarmo.org
Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases [UK]: www.caab.org.uk
DFG-VK [Germany]: www.dfg-vk.de
Etz Langt’s [Ansbach, Germany]: www.etz-langts.de
GI Café Germany: www.gicafegermany.com
Global Peace and Justice Coalition [Turkey]: www.kureselbak.org
No Dal Molin [Vicenza, Italy]: nodalmolin.it/ and nodalmolin.it/English
No MUOS [Sicily, Italy]: nomuos.org/en
Shannon Watch [Ireland]: www.shannonwatch.org
Stop Ramstein! Campaign: www.ramstein-kampagne.eu
Latin America
Colombia No Bases Coalition: colombianobases.org
COPINH [Honduras]: www.copinh.org
School of the Americas Watch: www.soaw.org
Vieques Vive La Lucha Continua [Puerto Rico]: facebook.com/viequesvive
United States
Carlton Meyer overseas base closure list: www.g2mil.com/OBCL.htm
DMZ Hawaii / Aloha ‘Aina: www.dmzhawaii.org
Global Network against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space: space4peace.org
Guam Chamber of Commerce: www.guamchamber.com.gu/committees/armed-forces-committee
Save Pagan Island [Northern Mariana Islands]: savepaganisland.org
Women for Genuine Security: www.genuinesecurity.org
We Are Guahan [Guam]: weareguahan.com
Environmental Damage
Agent Orange in Okinawa/Poisoning the Pacific: www.jonmitchellinjapan.com
Center for Public Environmental Oversight: www.cpeo.org
Military Poisons: www.militarypoisons.org
Union of Concerned Scientists: www.ucsusa.org/resources/toxic-threat-pfas-contamination-military-bases
Family Members of Military Personnel
Blue Star Families: www.bluestarfam.org
Department of Defense Military One Source: www.militaryonesource.mil/phases-family-life
National Military Families Association: www.militaryfamily.org
Military Families Speak Out: www.militaryfamiliesspeakout.com
Yellow Ribbon Support Foundation: www.yellowribbonsupport.com
Film
Camp Justice [Diego Garcia]: Watch on iTunes
The Insular Empire: America in the Mariana Islands: theinsularempire.blogspot.com
Ghosts of Jeju: www.theghostsofjeju.net
Living Along the Fenceline: alongthefenceline.com
Occupy Turkey: Resistance in the Baseworld: amyaustinholmes.com/film
Restrepo: restrepothemovie.com
Standing Army: www.snagfilms.com/films/title/standing_army
Stealing a Nation [Diego Garcia]: johnpilger.com/videos/stealing-a-nation
Government Resources
Reports from Government Accountability Office, Congressional Research Service,
Congressional Budget Office
House and Senate Armed Services Committees
U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency: www.afhra.af.mil
U.S. Army Center for Military History: www.history.army.mil
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History: www.usace.army.mil/About/History.aspx
U.S. Marine Corps History Division: www.mcu.usmc.mil/historydivision/SitePages/Home.aspx
U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command: www.history.navy.mil
Maps, Museums, Photography
Civil Rights Struggle, African-American GIs, and Germany: www.aacvr-germany.org
“Fifty-One US Military Outposts”: mishkahenner.com/filter/works/Fifty-One-US-Military-
Outposts
Google Earth map of the world’s foreign bases: www.tni.org//archives/act/17252
Guantánamo Public Memory Project: gitmomemory.org
“Limit Telephotography” [domestic U.S. Bases]: www.paglen.com/?l=work&s=limit
Rendition Project: www.therenditionproject.org.uk
"New Atlantis Project: A Story of the People of the Chagos Islands" [Diego Garcia]: newatlantisproject.com
“Traces of the Soviet Empire” [former Soviet Bases]: www.ericlusito.com
“United Bases of America” map: news.nationalpost.com/2011/10/28/graphic-mapping-a-
superpower-sized-military
“U.S. Drone and Surveillance Flight Bases in Africa”: publicintelligence.net/us-drones-in-africa
“U.S. Empire” map: www.radicalcartography.net/index.html?usempire
Military Spending, Contracting, and Contractor Abuse
Costs of National Security Trade-offs tool: www.nationalpriorities.org/interactive-data/trade-offs
Department of Defense Budget Materials: comptroller.defense.gov/BudgetMaterials.aspx
Department of Defense Contract Announcements: www.defense.gov/contracts
House Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Subcommittee
Network to Dismantle the Military Industrial Complex: www.DismantleTheMIC.org
Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
Special Commission on Wartime Contracting: www.wartimecontracting.gov [archived]
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction: www.sigar.mil
Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction: www.sigir.mil [archived]
Sexual Assault
Department of Defense Safe Helpline: www.safehelpline.org or call 1-877-995-5247
Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response: www.sapr.mil
RAINN: www.rainn.org/types-of-sexual-assault/military-sexual-trauma
Service Women’s Action Network: servicewomen.org
U.S. Veterans
Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service: www.dol.gov/vets
Department of Veterans Affairs Resource Directory: https://nrd.gov
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association Referral Program: iava.org/rrrp-contact-us
Iraq Veterans against the War: www.ivaw.org
Service Members, Veterans, and Families Assistance Center: www.samhsa.gov/smvf-ta-center
Soldiers Project [free, confidential therapy for veterans, families]: www.thesoldiersproject.org
Veterans Crisis Line: www.veteranscrisisline.net or call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1
War and Its Costs
American Friends Service Committee: afsc.org/key-issues/issue/peace-policy-advocacy
Code Pink: www.codepink.org/bring_our_war_dollars_home
Costs of War project: costsofwar.org
Global Campaign on Military Spending: demilitarize.org
“Move the Money”: www.peace-action.org/issues/move-the-money
Union Pacifiste: http://unionpacifiste.org/
War costs spending counters: www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of
War Resisters International: https://wri-irg.org/en and https://wri-irg.org/fr [French]
Base Websites (e.g. www.ramstein.af.mil): generally accessible online
Base Public Affairs Offices: contact information generally accessible online
Coalition against U.S. Foreign Military Bases: noforeignbases.org
Department of Defense “Base Structure Reports”: www.acq.osd.mil/ie
GlobalSecurity.org
MilitaryBases.com
Militarism Watch: forusa.org/groups/services/militarism-watch
Military Installations [Department of Defense]: www.militaryinstallations.dod.mil
“Mission Creep,” Mother Jones magazine series on foreign military bases
Security Assistance Monitor: www.securityassistance.org
Base Conversion and Alternatives
Base Tuono [Italy]: www.basetuono.it/en
Bonn International Center for Conversion: www.bicc.de
Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment: www.oea.gov
Institute for Policy Studies: www.ips-dc.org/projects/peace-economy-transitions
Presidio of San Francisco Trust: www.presidio.gov
Base Social Movements
Crowdsourced list of anti-base movements through time, including information about contemporary movements.
Coalition against U.S. Foreign Military Bases: noforeignbases.org
Japanese Peace Committee: http://j-peace.org/
Overseas Base Realignment and Closure Coalition: www.overseasbases.net
Transnational Institute: www.tni.org/archives/act/17124 and
www.tni.org/primer/foreign-military-bases-and-global-campaign-close-them
David Vine, "No Bases? How Social Movements against U.S. Military Bases Abroad Are Challenging Militarization and Militarism," suppl. issue, “Cultures of Militarism,” edited by Catherine Besteman and Hugh Gusterson. Current Anthropology 60, supp. 19: S158-S172.
Africa
America’s Codebook: Africa: codebookafrica.wordpress.com
"Camp Justice," Pivot TV (documentary about Diego Garcia and US bases abroad; also on iTunes)
Chagos Refugees Group [Diego Garcia]: chagosrefugeesgroup.org
Island of Shame: The Secret History of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia
"New Atlantis Project: A Story of the People of the Chagos Islands" [Diego Garcia]: newatlantisproject.com
Lalit de Klas [Mauritius/Diego Garcia]: www.lalitmauritius.org
Resist Africom
UK Chagos Support Association [Diego Garcia]: www.chagossupport.org.uk
Asia
Australia Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition: www.anti-bases.org
Close the Base [Okinawa]: closethebase.org
Ghosts of Jeju: www.theghostsofjeju.net
Independent and Peaceful Australia Network: http://www.ipan.org.au
Malalya Movement against Killings and Dictatorship and for Democracy in the Philippines: www.malayamovement.com
My Sister’s Place (Durebang) [South Korea]: durebang.org
National Campaign for Eradication of Crimes by U.S. Troops in Korea: www.usacrime.or.kr
No Base Stories Korea: nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com
Peace Philosophy Centre blog [Japan]: peacephilosophy.blogspot.com
ROK Drop blog: www.rokdrop.net
Save Jeju [South Korea]: www.savejeju.org and www.savejejunow.org
Save Life Center [Henoko, Okinawa]: www.geocities.jp/nobasehenoko
Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea: www.spark946.org
Takae blog [Okinawa]: takae.ti-da.net
US for Okinawa: us-for-okinawa.blogspot.com
Working Group for Peace, Demilitarization in Asia, Pacific: www.asiapacificinitiative.org
Europe
Antonio Mazzeo’s blog [Italy]: antoniomazzeoblog.blogspot.com
Bombspotting [Belgium]: www.vredesactie.be/en
Comitato Pace e Disarmo Campania [Naples, Italy]: www.pacedisarmo.org
Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases [UK]: www.caab.org.uk
DFG-VK [Germany]: www.dfg-vk.de
Etz Langt’s [Ansbach, Germany]: www.etz-langts.de
GI Café Germany: www.gicafegermany.com
Global Peace and Justice Coalition [Turkey]: www.kureselbak.org
No Dal Molin [Vicenza, Italy]: nodalmolin.it/ and nodalmolin.it/English
No MUOS [Sicily, Italy]: nomuos.org/en
Shannon Watch [Ireland]: www.shannonwatch.org
Stop Ramstein! Campaign: www.ramstein-kampagne.eu
Latin America
Colombia No Bases Coalition: colombianobases.org
COPINH [Honduras]: www.copinh.org
School of the Americas Watch: www.soaw.org
Vieques Vive La Lucha Continua [Puerto Rico]: facebook.com/viequesvive
United States
Carlton Meyer overseas base closure list: www.g2mil.com/OBCL.htm
DMZ Hawaii / Aloha ‘Aina: www.dmzhawaii.org
Global Network against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space: space4peace.org
Guam Chamber of Commerce: www.guamchamber.com.gu/committees/armed-forces-committee
Save Pagan Island [Northern Mariana Islands]: savepaganisland.org
Women for Genuine Security: www.genuinesecurity.org
We Are Guahan [Guam]: weareguahan.com
Environmental Damage
Agent Orange in Okinawa/Poisoning the Pacific: www.jonmitchellinjapan.com
Center for Public Environmental Oversight: www.cpeo.org
Military Poisons: www.militarypoisons.org
Union of Concerned Scientists: www.ucsusa.org/resources/toxic-threat-pfas-contamination-military-bases
Family Members of Military Personnel
Blue Star Families: www.bluestarfam.org
Department of Defense Military One Source: www.militaryonesource.mil/phases-family-life
National Military Families Association: www.militaryfamily.org
Military Families Speak Out: www.militaryfamiliesspeakout.com
Yellow Ribbon Support Foundation: www.yellowribbonsupport.com
Film
Camp Justice [Diego Garcia]: Watch on iTunes
The Insular Empire: America in the Mariana Islands: theinsularempire.blogspot.com
Ghosts of Jeju: www.theghostsofjeju.net
Living Along the Fenceline: alongthefenceline.com
Occupy Turkey: Resistance in the Baseworld: amyaustinholmes.com/film
Restrepo: restrepothemovie.com
Standing Army: www.snagfilms.com/films/title/standing_army
Stealing a Nation [Diego Garcia]: johnpilger.com/videos/stealing-a-nation
Government Resources
Reports from Government Accountability Office, Congressional Research Service,
Congressional Budget Office
House and Senate Armed Services Committees
U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency: www.afhra.af.mil
U.S. Army Center for Military History: www.history.army.mil
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History: www.usace.army.mil/About/History.aspx
U.S. Marine Corps History Division: www.mcu.usmc.mil/historydivision/SitePages/Home.aspx
U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command: www.history.navy.mil
Maps, Museums, Photography
Civil Rights Struggle, African-American GIs, and Germany: www.aacvr-germany.org
“Fifty-One US Military Outposts”: mishkahenner.com/filter/works/Fifty-One-US-Military-
Outposts
Google Earth map of the world’s foreign bases: www.tni.org//archives/act/17252
Guantánamo Public Memory Project: gitmomemory.org
“Limit Telephotography” [domestic U.S. Bases]: www.paglen.com/?l=work&s=limit
Rendition Project: www.therenditionproject.org.uk
"New Atlantis Project: A Story of the People of the Chagos Islands" [Diego Garcia]: newatlantisproject.com
“Traces of the Soviet Empire” [former Soviet Bases]: www.ericlusito.com
“United Bases of America” map: news.nationalpost.com/2011/10/28/graphic-mapping-a-
superpower-sized-military
“U.S. Drone and Surveillance Flight Bases in Africa”: publicintelligence.net/us-drones-in-africa
“U.S. Empire” map: www.radicalcartography.net/index.html?usempire
Military Spending, Contracting, and Contractor Abuse
Costs of National Security Trade-offs tool: www.nationalpriorities.org/interactive-data/trade-offs
Department of Defense Budget Materials: comptroller.defense.gov/BudgetMaterials.aspx
Department of Defense Contract Announcements: www.defense.gov/contracts
House Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Subcommittee
Network to Dismantle the Military Industrial Complex: www.DismantleTheMIC.org
Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
Special Commission on Wartime Contracting: www.wartimecontracting.gov [archived]
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction: www.sigar.mil
Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction: www.sigir.mil [archived]
Sexual Assault
Department of Defense Safe Helpline: www.safehelpline.org or call 1-877-995-5247
Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response: www.sapr.mil
RAINN: www.rainn.org/types-of-sexual-assault/military-sexual-trauma
Service Women’s Action Network: servicewomen.org
U.S. Veterans
Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service: www.dol.gov/vets
Department of Veterans Affairs Resource Directory: https://nrd.gov
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association Referral Program: iava.org/rrrp-contact-us
Iraq Veterans against the War: www.ivaw.org
Service Members, Veterans, and Families Assistance Center: www.samhsa.gov/smvf-ta-center
Soldiers Project [free, confidential therapy for veterans, families]: www.thesoldiersproject.org
Veterans Crisis Line: www.veteranscrisisline.net or call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1
War and Its Costs
American Friends Service Committee: afsc.org/key-issues/issue/peace-policy-advocacy
Code Pink: www.codepink.org/bring_our_war_dollars_home
Costs of War project: costsofwar.org
Global Campaign on Military Spending: demilitarize.org
“Move the Money”: www.peace-action.org/issues/move-the-money
Union Pacifiste: http://unionpacifiste.org/
War costs spending counters: www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of
War Resisters International: https://wri-irg.org/en and https://wri-irg.org/fr [French]