Access Granted: Political Challenges to the U.S. Overseas Military Presence, 1945-2014
Abstract
Does the United States face an "access problem"? According to many policymakers, academics, and analysts, the United States faces a variety of external and internal political challenges to its use of overseas military facilities. For instance, since the late 1990s, the U.S. Department of Defense has expressed concerns about anti-access strategies, which aim to impede the deployment of expeditionary forces by attacking the forward bases U.S. forces depend on to project power, among other potential targets. Potential opponents may also try to undermine the political foundations of U.S. access. By wielding military, diplomatic, and economic levers, an adversary could try to compel allies and partners to close U.S. bases or deny the United States permission to use them during a contingency, effectively neutralizing most of the U.S. military's capabilities without firing a shot. Importantly, though, coercive anti-access threats are only one part of the access problem. Local opposition often emerges organically within nations that permit U.S. forces on their soil, and at times, these internal access threats can force the host nation to restrict or rescind U.S. access.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1085121
Entities
People
- Jennifer Kavanagh
- Stacie L. Pettyjohn
Organizations
- RAND Corporation