WASHINGTON — For the first time in six decades, the U.S. military presence overseas has dropped below 200,000 active-duty troops, according to Pew Research.
In 2016, 193,442 (15 percent) of the nation’s 1.3 million active-duty military personnel were deployed to locations outside the country. The number hasn’t been that low since at least 1957, “the earliest year with comparable data,” Pew reports.
The five countries with the largest presence of U.S. military in 2016 were Japan (38,818), Germany (34,602), South Korea (24,189), Italy (12,088) and Afghanistan (9,023), the last of which is the only one in an open conflict.
The U.S. military presence peaked at more than 1.2 million during the Vietnam War. (TAB)
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