5 ms·

TIL the US army has a garrison in Italy.

throwaway0a5e 4y ago
Gotta deter that Swiss expansionism. The US has a lot of random facilities in Europe (many colocated with current or former military bases of the host nation) as a result of all the post-ww2 nation building and cold war geopolitics. Many were closed in the post cold war draw-down.
- tablespoon 4y ago
  > The US has a lot of random facilities in Europe (many colocated with current or former military bases of the host nation) as a result of all the post-ww2 nation building and cold war geopolitics. That's also super clear in the map the sibling comment posted: most of the European bases are in an arc that follows the Iron Curtain. This particular base is close to Slovenia, which used to be in the Soviet sphere.
- soco 4y ago
  There was a certain expansionism which justified those bases and current events give a certain plausibility to that thought. But it's not the Swiss expansionism (this time?).
JshWright 4y ago
The US has overseas bases in 85 different countries/territories (including a decent chunk of Europe). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_overseas_military_bases#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_oversea...
- bombcar 4y ago
  But, please, the word empire is so … British … or Roman … certainly nothing we are.
  - tablespoon 4y ago
    > But, please, the word empire is so … British … or Roman … certainly nothing we are. Not for this reason, at least, because it's not an occupying force. If the Italians asked the garrison to leave, it wouldn't go to war to stay.
    - ASalazarMX 4y ago
      IIRC European bases are strategic for USA's Middle East war operations, I doubt the military would just leave if ordered, there would be significant diplomatic, and maybe economic, pressure to stay.
      - tablespoon 4y ago
        > IIRC European bases are strategic for USA's Middle East war operations, I doubt the military would just leave if ordered, there would be significant diplomatic, and maybe economic, pressure to stay. Are you saying the US would go to war with Italy to keep this base? The US might try to pressure Italy to let it keep it, but if Italy was insistent, the US would do it.
        ASalazarMX 4y ago
        I'm only saying what I said, that USA won't get evicted without exerting great pressure to stay. I don't think USA would go to war with Italy, but the position is too valuable to give it back without resisting.
cdot2 4y ago
https://www.todaysmilitary.com/ways-to-serve/bases-around-world https://www.todaysmilitary.com/ways-to-serve/bases-around-wo... Here's a map of US military bases worldwide
codyb 4y ago
We fly most of our drones for the Middle East out of Sicily. We maintain bases all throughout Europe as part of our NATO commitments.

Gotta deter that Swiss expansionism. The US has a lot of random facilities in Europe (many colocated with current or former military bases of the host nation) as a result of all the post-ww2 nation building and cold war geopolitics. Many were closed in the post cold war draw-down.

tablespoon 4y ago
> The US has a lot of random facilities in Europe (many colocated with current or former military bases of the host nation) as a result of all the post-ww2 nation building and cold war geopolitics. That's also super clear in the map the sibling comment posted: most of the European bases are in an arc that follows the Iron Curtain. This particular base is close to Slovenia, which used to be in the Soviet sphere.
soco 4y ago
There was a certain expansionism which justified those bases and current events give a certain plausibility to that thought. But it's not the Swiss expansionism (this time?).

JshWright 4y ago

The US has overseas bases in 85 different countries/territories (including a decent chunk of Europe). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_overseas_military_bases#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_oversea...

bombcar 4y ago
But, please, the word empire is so … British … or Roman … certainly nothing we are.
- tablespoon 4y ago
  > But, please, the word empire is so … British … or Roman … certainly nothing we are. Not for this reason, at least, because it's not an occupying force. If the Italians asked the garrison to leave, it wouldn't go to war to stay.
  - ASalazarMX 4y ago
    IIRC European bases are strategic for USA's Middle East war operations, I doubt the military would just leave if ordered, there would be significant diplomatic, and maybe economic, pressure to stay.
    - tablespoon 4y ago
      > IIRC European bases are strategic for USA's Middle East war operations, I doubt the military would just leave if ordered, there would be significant diplomatic, and maybe economic, pressure to stay. Are you saying the US would go to war with Italy to keep this base? The US might try to pressure Italy to let it keep it, but if Italy was insistent, the US would do it.
      - ASalazarMX 4y ago
        I'm only saying what I said, that USA won't get evicted without exerting great pressure to stay. I don't think USA would go to war with Italy, but the position is too valuable to give it back without resisting.

cdot2 4y ago

https://www.todaysmilitary.com/ways-to-serve/bases-around-world https://www.todaysmilitary.com/ways-to-serve/bases-around-wo... Here's a map of US military bases worldwide

codyb 4y ago

We fly most of our drones for the Middle East out of Sicily. We maintain bases all throughout Europe as part of our NATO commitments.