The United States is strategically shifting its military bases to the Asia-Pacific region for the primary purpose of countering China's rise, claims the China Youth Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Youth League.
Citing US digital news outlet Quartz, the report claims that America has at least 686 "base sites" off the US mainland in 74 foreign countries.
The management of US base sites is split between Washington headquarters, the US Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, while the types of military bases generally can be placed into three categories.
The first of these is the Main Operating Base, which is defined as a "permanently manned, well protected base, used to support permanently deployed forces, and with robust sea and/or air access." Examples of this type of base can be found in Japan, South Korea and Germany.
The second category of US military base is the Forward Operating Base, which is mainly used to support tactical operations. It is typically used to store weapons, carry out troop rotations and conduct emergency missions, and has a smaller permanent force or contractor personnel. Such bases were set up by the US during the wars in Afghanistan and in Iraq, mostly in neighboring countries.
The third type of US military base is the Cooperative Security Location, which provides facilities for regional training and contingency access to continental areas. These bases utilize few US officers and offer higher cost efficiency, which is why Washington intends to increase this type of base significant(ly) in the future.
Read the full story at Want China Times