America's Empire of Bases

[Jaga]

Did you know that America has 700+ military bases in 103 countries?

Our military deploys well over half a million soldiers, spies, technicians, teachers, dependents, and civilian contractors in other nations. To dominate the oceans and seas of the world, we are creating some thirteen naval task forces built around aircraft carriers whose names sum up our martial heritage -- Kitty Hawk, Constellation, Enterprise, John F. Kennedy, Nimitz, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Carl Vinson, Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, John C. Stennis, Harry S. Truman, and Ronald Reagan. We operate numerous secret bases outside our territory to monitor what the people of the world, including our own citizens, are saying, faxing, or e-mailing to one another.

Our installations abroad bring profits to civilian industries, which design and manufacture weapons for the armed forces or, like the now well-publicized Kellogg, Brown & Root company, a subsidiary of the Halliburton Corporation of Houston, undertake contract services to build and maintain our far-flung outposts. One task of such contractors is to keep uniformed members of the imperium housed in comfortable quarters, well fed, amused, and supplied with enjoyable, affordable vacation facilities. Whole sectors of the American economy have come to rely on the military for sales. On the eve of our second war on Iraq, for example, while the Defense Department was ordering up an extra ration of cruise missiles and depleted-uranium armor-piercing tank shells, it also acquired 273,000 bottles of Native Tan sunblock, almost triple its 1999 order and undoubtedly a boon to the supplier, Control Supply Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and its subcontractor, Sun Fun Products of Daytona Beach, Florida.

At Least Seven Hundred Foreign Bases

It's not easy to assess the size or exact value of our empire of bases. Official records on these subjects are misleading, although instructive. According to the Defense Department's annual "Base Structure Report" for fiscal year 2003, which itemizes foreign and domestic U.S. military real estate, the Pentagon currently owns or rents 702 overseas bases in about 130 countries and HAS another 6,000 bases in the United States and its territories. Pentagon bureaucrats calculate that it would require at least $113.2 billion to replace just the foreign bases -- surely far too low a figure but still larger than the gross domestic product of most countries -- and an estimated $591,519.8 million to replace all of them. The military high command deploys to our overseas bases some 253,288 uniformed personnel, plus an equal number of dependents and Department of Defense civilian officials, and employs an additional 44,446 locally hired foreigners. The Pentagon claims that these bases contain 44,870 barracks, hangars, hospitals, and other buildings, which it owns, and that it leases 4,844 more.

These numbers, although staggeringly large, do not begin to cover all the actual bases we occupy globally. The 2003 Base Status Report fails to mention, for instance, any garrisons in Kosovo -- even though it is the site of the huge Camp Bondsteel, built in 1999 and maintained ever since by Kellogg, Brown & Root. The Report similarly omits bases in Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, and Uzbekistan, although the U.S. military has established colossal base structures throughout the so-called arc of instability in the two-and-a-half years since 9/11.

...
www.commondreams.org/views04/0115-08.htm

[valpomike]

Jaga,

Why are you so unhappy with the U.S.A.? How long have you live here? Are you now one of us? I have family in Poland, but U.S.A. is where I was born and live, and love it. If I did not like it, and found fault with it, I would leave.

Michael Dabrowski

[valpomike]

Jaga,

You never answered my questions, why?

Michael Dabrowski

[kaima]

Hi Jaga,

I read the article and do have a comment. You know I am much like Mike, I was born here and love the country, but I figure we can do things better... no matter how good we are. So I also criticize the country. Certainly we must question what we do and why!

Now I am a bit surprised the article (as I read it a few days ago) states we force SOFA (Status of Forces Agreements) on our allies where we have bases. A part of that, they claim, is that we insist upon exemption from local environmental laws.

I have only worked in Germany with our SOFA, and have discussed the SOFA with people who worked in Japan. The other four countries I worked in for the US did not have SOFA in place.

In my limited experience, the article is WRONG. We must comply with local environmental laws, and we take pains to do so, and we bear the corresponding expense or our carelessness. Where we removed some asbestos in a country where they were still actively producing and installing it, we did a pretty thorough abatement and proper disposal of the waste - and there was definitely no foreign legal requirement that we go to that trouble!

In Germany where we have a long standing SOFA and well developed relationships, it was still interesting to see that the two governments had negotiated protocols for executing construction and environmental cleanup, but in at least one case put in two distinctly different meanings, one in English and the other in German. Essentially that left it to those of us in the field doing the work to negotiate the final responsibilities!

The only other clear-cut example of deliberate misunderstanding was when teh US reported we sould pull out the Pershing I rockets and replace them with spanking new Pershing II. The Germans reported to their people that we would not be bringing in new rockets, but just updating the old ones!

Otherwise I question the tone of the article. After catching the point above, I glanced through and see a lot of negative presentation - to the point where I look upon the writeup as propagandistic. It may or may not be accurate in the various points, but it is a very biased writeup.

Thanks for presenting the article. It is good to see how others look at us, and how others wish to present us. Now I do hope Poland negotiates a tight SOFA with the USA. We can't be trusted. 60 years ago we were the ones being tortured in North Korea; in the meantime our values have degenerated to match theirs. We are not to be trusted.

Kai

[Mary]

admin said:

Did you know that America has 700+ military bases in 103 countries?

On the eve of our second war on Iraq, for example, while the Defense Department was ordering up an extra ration of cruise missiles and depleted-uranium armor-piercing tank shells, it also acquired 273,000 bottles of Native Tan sunblock, almost triple its 1999 order and undoubtedly a boon to the supplier, Control Supply Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and its subcontractor, Sun Fun Products of Daytona Beach, Florida.

I feel I must respond to this portion of the article. The general public has for years been misled about most government contracting for supplies. Until starting, and running small company that sells to the Federal Government I believed what I read too.

Selling to the government is totally unlike commercial sales. A solicitation is put out asking for bids, but there are more considerations than just price. The item must be exactly what is asked for, delivery for a certain time must be guaranteed. This may be an urgent request and if you have a bad delivery record the bid will be lost. In our business we sell mostly vehicle parts, wiper blades, oil and fuel filters, lights and the like. All these things require repackaging. Most must be put in heat sealed plastic bags, and they must meet the mil thickness required. The reason for this is that these items may sit in warehouses in extreme temperatures and humidity. When they are needed they want it in perfect condition, not deteriorated. Then each item must be bar coded and in many cases now they must also have a RFID tag (radio frequency identification) and these are to track inventory. Just as Walmart does.

The government does not pay the freight bill, that has to be entered into the cost of the bid, as well as all the special packaging and tagging.
So, you have the cost of the item, freight in, repackaging and labor costs, and then freight out. Most contractors have to work on very small margins and depend on volume to keep afloat. Government contracting in general is highly competitive. A manufacturer, rather than a supplier like us, has more of an edge as they can cut out the middleman. Typically commercial sales have a margin of 30 to 35%. Our margins are from 2 to 6% unless we are lucky and can get another 1 or 2% on some orders.

Another misconception; some things were portrayed in the news a few years back as way overpriced. I recall a "hammer" and a "toilet seat". I don't recall the prices the news reported but I remember being aghast when I heard it. At the time I thought it was obscene!

Since then I found out that the hammer, as it was listed on the contract, in the small box they have for description, was actually a powered jack hammer. Quite a difference from a regular hammer the newscaster held up. The toilet seas, same scenario, was actually an entire one piece toilet enclosure.
The reporting was misleading, they didn't do their homework. If the NSN (national stock number) was looked up, they would have seen an entire description. Or, they didn't want the public to know that?

One last note; If our boys and girls are in the mid east, they should have sunscreen, and anything else they need.

Mary

[bescheid]

Jaga and Mary

I wish to say of you both. I have found your detail and descriptive examples of this system of supply and procurement as very well described in detail, and very enlightening.

I have been very curios as to the method of American logistics. For they {you} have solved with answers a very complicated trail of procurement/transport/storage and inventory control.

On some occasions whilst an invited visitor upon a few of your basis, it was very apparent of your work. I have seen the condition of the packing cases as being rather badly worn, but the contents were as packaged, very new.

Even for lowly tins of rations, the metal was coated with protective paint and the contents as fresh and delicious as it was produced. Fuel tins were/are of appropriate metal thickness for resistance to impact {the 2 of example, were hit in an accident between two vehicles whilst traversing an iced bridge} with out bursting.

The work you do Mary, is so very vital. For your labour, a young solder may have dependence for to save his life.

Charles

[Mary]

bescheid said:

Jaga and Mary

I wish to say of you both. I have found your detail and descriptive examples of this system of supply and procurement as very well described in detail, and very enlightening.

I have been very curios as to the method of American logistics. For they {you} have solved with answers a very complicated trail of procurement/transport/storage and inventory control.

On some occasions whilst an invited visitor upon a few of your basis, it was very apparent of your work. I have seen the condition of the packing cases as being rather badly worn, but the contents were as packaged, very new.

Even for lowly tins of rations, the metal was coated with protective paint and the contents as fresh and delicious as it was produced. Fuel tins were/are of appropriate metal thickness for resistance to impact {the 2 of example, were hit in an accident between two vehicles whilst traversing an iced bridge} with out bursting.

The work you do Mary, is so very vital. For your labour, a young solder may have dependence for to save his life.

Charles

Charles,

Thank you so very much! It is rare to find someone who appreciates what we do. And most people (those who don't know me personally) think we must be getting rich. HA!

One of our main purposes is to employ veterans. We are a small company as I said and we are in one of the most remote and poor areas of PA, so not too many employees, but we have a Korean War vet who works part time (81), a Vietnam Vet, a Gulf war vet, and a Iraq war vet. They all understand about logistics and the importance of what we do and doing it right.

Remember when we first went into Iraq and the firestorm over no armor plating on the Humvees and trucks? We won a contract to up-armor the Army's 5 ton truck. We acquired the much needed and scarce armor plating and subcontracted the welding to a plant in mid PA. The weldments were delivered ahead of schedule and headed for Iraq in record time. I'm very proud of that and can sleep better at night knowing a life may have been spared through our efforts.

I truly appreciate your kind words,

Mary

[Mary]

Our web site is www.veesales.us if you are interested in a little more detail of what we do.
Just like us the site is not fancy or flowery, just factual.

Mary

[valpomike]

Kai,

I like the way you think, with a open mind. It also looks Mary is doing her part to help the veterans, and God Bless her for it. As we have so many people wanting to come to the U.S.A. to live, you know, if you are unhappy with this life, you can leave any of you.

Michael Dabrowski

[troubledgoodangel]

I was having breakfast allright, until I stumbled on Jaga's article on "America's Empire of Bases." But my breakfast was spoiled not by Jaga, but by the irrespectful and bigoted language used by Mike. Who does he think he is to tell Polish-Americans that he is somehow better than they are, just because he is a veteran, or just because he was born in America? He is not better! There are many Polish-Americans who are veterans, and many Poles who fought for America in foreign countries! To be a veteran is not necessarily the only criterium of being a good American! Not all good Americans are veterans, and there are many veterans and non-veterans who are lousy Americans! I for instance know a disabled Polish-American lady who has been cleaning toilets in Chicago for many years. Is she less American than the Mike from Valparaiso? Baloney! And an unadulterated bigotry! All immigrants, first or sixth generation regardless, have given their blood and sweat, and tears, to build what America is today! I myself have given thirty years. And this, precisely this, is what gives us the right to criticize anything and everything that we find wrong with America! And the first thing wrong, are the attitudes like Mike's! We should therefore denounce and condemn all bigotry that divides one American from another! I have fought against this kind of un-American evil, tooth and nail, for thirty years. I left America when I saw that the bigotry, like Mike's, was continuing to deface the Nation that I came to love!

[valpomike]

troubledgoodangel,

I am sorry that I upset you so much, but I am first a American, second a Polish-American, and I care for both.
No, I don't think I am any better than the rest, but could be as good.
I never used any bigoted lnguage, and will not.
I never once said, I was a Veteran.
What I said, was, don't criticize unless, you work to change things you think need change.
I am sorry if I chased you out of the U.S.A.
Again, you should not criticize anyone, whitout doing you part to change it, not just talk, but action.

Michael Dabrowski

[Jaga]

troubledgoodangel said:

I was having breakfast allright, until I stumbled on Jaga's article on "America's Empire of Bases." But my breakfast was spoiled not by Jaga, but by the irrespectful and bigoted language used by Mike. Who does he think he is to tell Polish-Americans that he is somehow better than they are, just because he is a veteran, or just because he was born in America? He is not better! There are many Polish-Americans who are veterans, and many Poles who fought for America in foreign countries! To be a veteran is not necessarily the only criterium of being a good American! Not all good Americans are veterans, and there are many veterans and non-veterans who are lousy Americans! I for instance know a disabled Polish-American lady who has been cleaning toilets in Chicago for many years. Is she less American than the Mike from Valparaiso? Baloney! And an unadulterated bigotry! All immigrants, first or sixth generation regardless, have given their blood and sweat, and tears, to build what America is today! I myself have given thirty years. And this, precisely this, is what gives us the right to criticize anything and everything that we find wrong with America! And the first thing wrong, are the attitudes like Mike's! We should therefore denounce and condemn all bigotry that divides one American from another! I have fought against this kind of un-American evil, tooth and nail, for thirty years. I left America when I saw that the bigotry, like Mike's, was continuing to deface the Nation that I came to love!

Troubleangel,

thank you for your very mindful answer. Mike does not want to discuss the issues but a person, so a discussion with him is difficult. Our finding fathers critized a system they lived in therefore it was changed from British empire to the United States of the America. If somebody would argue with them the same way Mike does - that you should be happy where you are and not critize anything, the US might still be a British colony

[valpomike]

troubleledgoodangle,

You did not address my reply.

Jaga,

Thank you for all the fine words, and I still love you.

Michael Dabrowski

[freetobe]

TGA,
Good for you! This the best post I've ever seen from you. I've considered living out side the States myself, but I am an American (born here) and find it hard to break the ties. As Americans we enjoy freedom of speech and have every right to voice our opinions or criticize our leaders when we believe they are wrong, without fear of reprisal. Try doing same in some eastern European nations. While Americans rights to privacy are currently being trod on now, supposedly in the interest of Homeland security (overkill to say the least) we can still complain and protest this. And every foreign visitor to the U.S. can do the same. Don't bother yourself replying to "ugly american" Mike, he can only understand his point of view and he doesn't reply to messages sent to him, especially when the message catches him in some lie or inaccuracy. Incidentally and if you don't mind, where did go when you left the U.S.?

[Mary]

freetobe said:

TGA,
While Americans rights to privacy are currently being trod on now, supposedly in the interest of Homeland security (overkill to say the least) we can still complain and protest this. And every foreign visitor to the U.S. can do the same.

FTB,

I am currious,..............

All in this forum, Please feel free to answer,

Exactly what rights to privacy Of yours (personally) have been trod on?

I have heard this before. Personally, I am hiding nothing, so I have nothing to fear. Nothing has changed for me. I doubt that the administration wants to hear any of my conversations about the grandkids. I think they are enlighting, but doubt anyone else does.

I have 3 children, seven grandchildren. If wire tapping or whatever means are necessary to protect them, I am all for it!

The only ones who should be fearful of this is criminals and terrorists! and to hell with them! (& the sooner the better!)

Mary