[Column] Once security assets, US bases are now liabilities to host countries

The superiority of US military power lies in the transoceanic projection of force. That’s the unique capability that gives pause to potential rivals like China and Russia. Indeed, it’s the linchpin of American hegemony.

That military power is grounded in over 750 US military bases and facilities in some 80 countries around the world, as well as the US’ blue-water navy, including its supercarriers with their precision-guided weaponry.

Notably, the US’ constellation of global military bases and access to those bases is essential for the operations of a blue-water navy. Without the presence of friendly harbors in the vicinity, US aircraft carriers cannot be resupplied and consequently cannot take part in operations.

After World War II, most countries permitted the US to make use of their bases and territory when a war broke out in the area. Those countries could count on being compensated in the form of American aid and didn’t have to worry about retaliation by whoever the adversary was. Such retaliation was inconceivable given the US military’s insurmountable technological lead.

During the Gulf War in 1991, the US stationed advanced fighters at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, on the border with Iraq, which served to neutralize the Iraqi threat. When the US invaded Afghanistan after the 9/11 terror attacks, troops arrived from bases in nearby Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

But since the Iraq War of 2003, the US has faced logistical roadblocks. American policymakers were shocked when Turkey rejected a US plan to open a northern front in Iraq through Turkish territory. Then during the war in Afghanistan in 2011, Pakistan cut off a supply line running from Karachi into Afghanistan.

The US war against Iran today represents an inflection point in its access to its network of overseas bases. The US has bases and facilities at 19 or more sites across the Middle East, eight of those being permanent bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

American bases in six countries (those five plus Jordan) have been rendered basically inoperable by Iranian attacks, and those countries have sustained major damage because of additional attacks on civilian facilities. Within two weeks of the onset of hostilities, these US military facilities were basically closed, with US troops forced to relocate to hotels or offices.

In effect, US military bases turned out to be not a security guarantee, but a security liability for countries in the Middle East.

Since hostilities began, NATO allies have been blocking the US from using their territory or base