Why Are US Special Operations Forces Deployed in Over 100 Countries?

[Scuba]

http://www.thenation.com/article/177797/why-are-us-special-operations-forces-deployed-over-100-countries

US Special Operations Forces around the world, 2012-2013 (key below article). (Map courtesy of TomDispatch and Google)

I started with a blank map that quickly turned into a global pincushion. It didn’t take long before every continent but Antarctica was bristling with markers indicating special operations forces’ missions, deployments and interactions with foreign military forces in 2012–13. With that, the true size and scope of the US military’s secret military began to come into focus. It was, to say the least, vast.

A review of open-source information reveals that in 2012 and 2013, US Special Operations forces (SOF) were likely deployed to—or training, advising or operating with the personnel of—more than 100 foreign countries. And that’s probably an undercount. In 2011, then-SOCOM spokesman Colonel Tim Nye told TomDispatch that Special Operations personnel were annually sent to 120 countries around the world. They were in, that is, about 60 percent of the nations on the planet. “We’re deployed in a number of locations,” was as specific as Bockholt would ever get when I talked to him in the waning days of 2013. And when SOCOM did finally get back to me with an eleventh-hour answer, the number offered made almost no sense.

Despite the lack of official cooperation, an analysis by TomDispatch reveals SOCOM to be a command on the make with an already sprawling reach. As Special Operations Command chief Admiral William McRaven put it in “SOCOM 2020,” his blueprint for the future, it has ambitious aspirations to create “a Global SOF network of like-minded interagency allies and partners.” In other words, in that future now only six years off, it wants to be everywhere.

...

In translation this means that SOCOM is weaving a complex web of alliances with government agencies at home and militaries abroad to ensure that it’s at the center of every conceivable global hot spot and power center. In fact, Special Operations Command has turned the planet into a giant battlefield, divided into many discrete fronts: the self-explanatory SOCAFRICA; the sub-unified command of US Central Command in the Middle East SOCCENT; the European contingent SOCEUR; SOCKOR, which is devoted strictly to Korea; SOCPAC, which covers the rest of the Asia-Pacific region; and SOCSOUTH, which conducts special ops missions in Central and South America and the Caribbean, as well as the globe-trotting JSOC.

Funny, this doesn't make me feel safer. Must be my advanced case of cynicism.

[pscot]

1. Manifest Destiny

It is manifestly our destiny to kick the crap out of people who might prevent us from doing whatever the fuck we please with their countries.

[Savannahmann]

3. Rec that reply

[rhett o rick]

34. I second that rec. nm

[Enthusiast]

42. +1! That about sums it up.

[mike_c]

2. because imperialism never rests....

The best cure for cynicism is consumption, Citizen.

[kelliekat44]

4. Because there are no jobs in America. nt

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

5. Prehaps the are practicing for the police state in America

and need dehumanization skills you can only find abroad?

[SamKnause]

7. Reply

The U.S. teaches many of those dehumanizing skills you refer to.

Have you heard of WHINSEC, aka The School of the Americas ???

We have proudly and righteously taught torture and killing the world over.

The U.S. has no high ground to stand on in these matters.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

10. The difference is that our proud soldiers can only emerse themselves

in that type of dehumanization against whatever locals they face outside the USA presently.

There is always a difference between teaching and hands-on experience.

[ronnie624]

6. To advance the cause of US global hegemony

and the "free market" economic paradigm.

Unfortunately, it is always to the great detriment of the earth's population.

[Comrade Grumpy]

8. Because we feed the war machine too much.

[oldhippie]

9. It's secret ....

.... so they can't tell you.

[Scuba]

13. "Nobody gives us rhyme or reason, have one doubt, they call it treason."

[SamKnause]

11. Why

Because the United States of America is a rogue empire hell bent on controlling the world's energy supplies and the world's economics.

What makes the U.S. tick ? MONEY and POWER.

What keeps the U.S. economy afloat ? The Military Industrial Complex.

[arcane1]

12. Well, certainly NOT because we're an empire securing resources for our corporate masters!

It's definitely not that!

Maybe it's "terrorism", because people in those countries hate us for unfathomable reasons

[Glassunion]

14. Because of those fucking Canadians!

Oh... And the Mother Fucking Dutch!

Kidding... I like the Dutch.

Is it "deployed" or "stationed"? There is a difference.

[bluestate10]

19. One day we're going to have to invade Canada to stop them from doing things like Health Care right,

making us look like damned fools. And dammit, on average, Canadians have a more realistic view of the world than we do, we can't let that go on. And, and, there are claims about that Canadians have better donuts than we have, oh hell!!! Amour up for the Donut War.

[Glassunion]

20. Oh, it's none of that lightweight crap...

It's far deeper and goes back a lot longer than that. I can even forgive that a good sizable chunk of them speak French.

But no. The gloves came off one day. It was a cold February evening in Northern Vermont, the sky was still and the air was crisp. The faint crackle from the wood fire in the sugar house could be heard through the valley. Then it happened. Two men, in Canadiens jerseys howled quite politely from across the line. "Excuse me. But we think your maple syrup is not as good as ours! Eh!". Then then meticulously cleaned up their campsite, bid us a "Good Evening" and disappeared into the cold north. This, this was the moment I could not stand. They had crossed my line in the sand.

[NuclearDem]

21. Oh no you don't!

No blood for syrup!

[dionysus]

22. fuck it. Dunkin is way better than TiHo's shitty donuts. let's do this.

[Egalitarian Thug]

15. "The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - GBS

The only purpose of any military is to break things and kill people, Special forces of every branch, doubly so.

[Godhumor]

16. Not unexpected considering that most of the pin locations

Are in either permanent bases (Japan, Europe, etc), hotspots (Central Africa and the Middle East), or areas that have actively requested partnership with the US in training (SE Asia). I would say the fact that there is not a huge overlap between the 2012 and 2013 data shows that a lot of the missions were temporary. Of more interest might be where they remained in non-permanent bases in multiple successive years .

[Adsos Letter]

17. China? n/t

[Recursion]

25. Joint training

We do joint training with just about everybody; it's really just a way for officers to make contacts.

[El_Johns]

18. We all know why.

[SCUBANOW]

23. Sometimes we are asked to things for other countries that they can't do themselves.

[ronnie624]

28. Can you provide some examples of countries that 'ask' for US 'help'? n/t

[TwilightGardener]

29. Um. Israel? South Korea? Japan? Kuwait? Egypt?

Srsly?

[ronnie624]

32. The US military presence in Japan and S. Korea

was established long before they were in a position to ask, and a majority of the populations of both countries are opposed to it.

The governments of Kuwait and Egypt, are US supported dictatorships. We know very well (or we should, anyway) how the populations feel about the US presence in those two countries.

[TwilightGardener]

33. Hell, we're trying to get South Korea to take over more of their defense--they

have been dragging their feet. Japan just convinced Okinawa to let us relocate a Marine base there (instead of just leaving). Egypt, we only recently cut off military aid for the time being, because of the Army coup and crackdown/violence, so now they're mad and turning to Russia.

[ronnie624]

36. Japan Pushes Back on US Bases

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2010/03/japan-american-bases-military-presence


Opponents to fight new US military base on Okinawa

]The new base is designed to reduce the impact of the heavy U.S. military presence in Okinawa by replacing another base in a more congested area, but opponents want the operations moved off Okinawa completely.

“What the governor has done is unforgivable,” Yuichi Higa, the head of the assembly in Nago city, said in a phone interview. Nago would house the new base.

“Residents who are opposed will surely resort to the use of force, such as blocking roads, to stop this from happening,” Higa said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/okinawa-governor-approves-relocation-of-us-base/2013/12/26/b88b8882-6ea8-11e3-a5d0-6f31cd74f760_story.html


The Worldwide Network of US Military Bases

The US has established its control over 191 governments which are members of the United Nations. The conquest, occupation and/or otherwise supervision of these various regions of the World is supported by an integrated network of military bases and installations which covers the entire Planet (Continents, Oceans and Outer Space). All this pertains to the workings of an extensive Empire, the exact dimensions of which are not always easy to ascertain.

Known and documented from information in the public domaine including Annual Reports of the US Congress, we have a fairly good understanding of the strucuture of US military expenditure, the network of US military bases and the shape of this US military-strategic configuration in different regions of the World.

The objective of this article is to build a summary profile of the World network of military bases, which are under the jurisdiction and/or control of the US. The spatial distribution of these military bases will be examined together with an analysis of the multibillion dollar annual cost of their activities.

In a second section of this article, Worldwide popular resistance movements directed against US military bases and their various projects will be outlined. In a further article we plan to analyze the military networks of other major nuclear superpowers including the United Kingdom, France and Russia.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-worldwide-network-of-us-military-bases/5564

[TwilightGardener]

37. The people of Okinawa have legitimate gripes--but the governor did allow it.

That's not "Japan" pushing back on US bases. That's local citizens. Japan the Government isn't kicking us out.

[Recursion]

24. Most of them are training other militaries

Some are training themselves (eg, the guys in Norway are there getting used to operating in very cold places). Others are doing drug interdiction. Others are looking for terrorists. Others are where they are "just in case".

[lonestarnot]

26. Money has to be wasted in some fashion.

[Drew Richards]

27. Rainbow 6

[jmowreader]

30. Some humanitarian missions are best handled by sending US special operations forces

If you want to send a dozen guys to East Goat Screw to install water wells, septic systems, and schools, and to do a vaccination program, you want to send people who know the language, know how to negotiate with the local tribal elders and are good at training the indigenous population to keep the systems running after they leave. And that job, folks, is best handled by the Special Forces.

[truedelphi]

43. I had totally forgoten that reason for our military.

In my day it was called the Peace Corps that went and did all those things in East Goat Screw.

[jmowreader]

48. We still have the Peace Corps

If you have a job that will take years to finish, or that will go on forever, you send the Peace Corps.

If your job is something short-term - drill a few wells, vaccinate a couple villages worth of kids, something like that - the Special Forces is your best bet.

The Army has done so many humanitarian missions in the last twenty years, we'd be well served to raise a Humanitarian Division. This would be heavy on engineers and medics and there wouldn't be any heavy weapons.

[Lost_Count]

51. I'd send a Civil Affairs team...

... Which falls under SOF but are not an ODA special forces team.

[Rex]

31. Divine Right of Kings.

Goes back to the original document. We dominate the world and are ALWAYS at war somewhere...ALWAYS.

[rhett o rick]

35. Because we give them a blank check. nm

[DashOneBravo]

38. It's not new.

"It didn’t take long before every continent but Antarctica was bristling with markers indicating special operations forces’ missions, deployments and interactions with foreign military forces in 2012–13. With that, the true size and scope of the US military’s secret military began to come into focus. It was, to say the least, vast."

It's always been vast since the early 1960's. It just wasn't on the internet. Just had different names

[sabrina 1]

39. Because our Democracy is gone and we are an Empire now. Ironic, considering the birth of this nation

Oh, and I forgot, because a small, elite bunch of greedy bastards are making huge amounts of money keeping the Empire going.

[truedelphi]

44. + 1. n/t

[goldent]

40. I couldn't be happier about this

Working along side other countries' countries and militaries is good for us and good for the world.

[sabrina 1]

46. Yes, working alongside dictators, ie, the Bahraini and Saudi dictatorships, Uzbekistan, remember the

embassy cables re Karamov, we KNOW how bad these guys are as wqs proven in those cables. Re Karamov 'yes, he's not a nice guy, BUT he lets us put our bases in Uzbekistan'. It's good for OIL. And pursuing every last drop of oil on the planet is holding this country BACK while others are moving forward with Alternative Energy. In the end, we'll be alone with our oil and so many deqd soldiers and other innocents and the world will leave us behind. It happens to every Empire, it won't be the first time.

Not to mention that apparently it isn't 'good for America' as according to Diane Feinstein we are 'in more danger than ever'! And this AFTER We went all over the world killing people. Who could have guessed how unpopular that would make us?

[goldent]

50. I think the goal of foreign policy is (should be) to engage with everyone

The traditional American thinking seems to be to divide countries into two lists of naughty and nice, and to tell the naughty ones to get lost. Until next year, when we decide they should be moved to the nice list, or we need their help, and then we want to be friends forever.

I think the European approach of engaging with everyone works better than declaring the Axis of Evil. And one way of engaging with everyone is to use our military which is highly trained, technically advanced, and well funded. All countries are interested in their own militarys, and a great many of these are happy to train with the Americans, to see how the Americans operate. And the American military learns something too. What a great way to build relationships -- I think this is a win for everyone.

[sabrina 1]

52. They know how the Americans operate. They saw the torture the slaughter in Iraq, and in case you

don't recall, those who revolted against their Dictators, OUR allies, and succeeded at first to remove them, made it clear they did not want help from the US, 'we do not want our country to become Iraq'. But those revolutions, see Egypt, have been overturned by the Egyptian Military, which 'worked on their training with ours and are brutal killers and oppressors of their people. So yes, it's good for the warmongering war criminals to 'work with other countries' many of them dictators and show them, see South America eg, when we trained their torturers in our 'School of the Americas'.

The ONLY people who are happy to work with our military are people like Mubarak, remember him? The PEOPLE want nothing to do with the US military or our Drones which have killed so many of their loved ones.

We are among the most hated nation in the world right now. So what you mean by 'working' escapes me completely.

[sarisataka]

41. Let's just say...

SPECOPS does more than traditional "military" operations; some are even benevolent.

Whoever put the pins on the map missed a few.

[KG]

45. because freedom! duh!

[Zorra]

47. For the thousandth time: Because the US is the world police for the 1%. nt

[livingwagenow]

49. Because there are wages to suppress, silly! knr nt

[woo me with science]

53. K&R

[libdem4life]

54. Because we can... what with Empire and all. "Interventions" since the Civil War...around 120,

http://academic.evergreen.edu/g/grossmaz/interventions.html