Over there - Data - pre 9/11/01 US overseas deployments already high - Brief Article

With thousands of American soldiers in Afghanistan and hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops and reserves standing by to catch the next bus to Iraq, it's easy to feel like we're entering a new era of interventionism.

However heartfelt, such a sentiment ignores existing troop deployments around the globe. The figures here were tallied a month prior to the 9/11 attacks. They include permanent bases and peacekeeping forces only. Short-term operational deployments and regular movements by the Atlantic and Pacific fleets, each more than 100,000 strong, are not included.

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