According to the US Navy, the Aegis weapons control system was "designed as a total weapon system, from detection to kill". The US Missile Defence Base at Redzikowo is home to the Aegis weapons system. Since 2017, NATO and US military presence in Poland has been rapidly increasing, with various US and NATO bases all over the country. The various bases and airfields across Eastern Europe would serve as locations from which to rapidly deploy or reload and refuel. This, in theory, would ensure a rapid response from the US military if Russia was ever to attack a NATO member state such as Estonia. The distance between it and Moscow is 2,103.04km.Įven before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the US has been building up its military infrastructure in Europe, with much of the funding going towards US Air Force sites. While there are 21 US bases in Germany, the air force base in Ramstein is the biggest. The biggest US Air Force bases in Europe are in Ramstein, Germany, and Royal Air Force Fairford, in the UK.
Map of Russia on a globe (Picture: Itani/Alamy). The US has military bases within striking distance of Russia both in Europe and Asia. Its border to the north is Finland, soon to become a member of NATO alongside Sweden. On its western side, meanwhile, it hugs four NATO states – Poland, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. Russia borders 14 countries, sharing a maritime border with the US and Japan on its eastern flank and even a narrow border with North Korea. Stretching across two continents, the Eurasian country covers 11 time zones. Russia is the biggest country in the world, spanning more than 17.1 million km². The UK has the second-largest global military presence after the US with a permanent presence at 145 base sites in 41 countries or territories around the world. Moreover, according to Professor Vine, it is "notoriously incomplete, and at times inaccurate". The annual report is Congressionally mandated, but the Pentagon has failed to release it since 2018. In previous years, the Pentagon has published data on its bases in the 'Base Structure Report'. The lack of transparency and secrecy surrounding some of the US bases overseas makes it difficult to compile a fully accurate list. The US military has about 750 "base sites" around the world.Īccording to Professor David Vine, author of 'The United States of War: A Global History of America's Endless Conflicts, from Columbus to the Islamic State', these military sites are situated in more than 80 countries and colonies outside of the US. While there are US, as well as UK, troops deployed in various Baltic countries right on Russia's western border, these are not considered US bases of permanent nature. The military airport is located less than 500km from Russian territory. On Russia's eastern flank, the closest US military site is perhaps the Eareckson Air Station, on the Alaskan island of Shemaya. The construction of the base began in 2016 to ensure the defence of Poland and NATO member states against ballistic missile attacks. If calculating the distance to the Russian mainland, specifically the capital city of Moscow, then the distance is 1,305km. The US Missile Defence Base at Redzikowo, in northern Poland, which is due to become operational this year but which has already hosted a contingent of sailors from the US Navy, is located less than 200km from Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave on the Baltic Sea. Zelensky: Western artillery starting to work 'very powerfully'.Ben Wallace party's favourite for Tory leadership, poll suggests.Exercise Hedgehog: What is the major NATO exercise under way in the Baltics?.US armed forces also have a presence in other sites alongside NATO which now has multinational battlegroups in Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, but there are a number of US-controlled 'base sites' that have relatively close proximity to Russia. The United States of America is estimated to have at least 750 military bases in up to 80 countries around the world – but where are the closest US bases to Russian territory?Īctual numbers of US bases could be higher because not all information is published by the Pentagon, but some candidates for bases within close range of Russian turf can be narrowed down from details that are in the public domain.
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