Well how about we pull our forces out of Germany,Japan, Britain,etc. and keep that money spent where we need it. The socialists in those countries lambast us and our soldiers and demand we leave until they realize how many billions of dollars we spend propping up their economies. I say let them spend their own damn money defending themselves and we can use some of the money basing those men here and prop up our own economy.
I hear that repeated over, and over, and over, and over, and over again on Free Republic.
It is another sign of colossal ignorance about how the military operates.
The US has a global mission because we have a global interest. Our political and economic power is directly tied to our military.
When the US responds and operates overseas, that requires overseas bases. Period.
In Europe, Rota NAS Spain, Sigonella NAS Italy, RAF Mildenhall England, and Ramstein Air Base Germany are major logistical and operation hubs. They are also on the now small short list of the military's few overseas enroute bases that are left. The US used to have access to scores of air, land, and naval bases all over the globe. Now, there a just a few. When the next crisis happens in the Middle East (and it will), or there is another terrorist attack on US soil (and there will be), or innocents are being slaughtered as in Rwanda or Bosnia, our politicos demand the of US military: "Do something now!"
You don't get the job done without overseas bases.