I keep seeing this thrown around. The numbers are only valid if you consider every embassy a "base". Unless people want to place embassy security in the hands of local contractors then shutting down a lot of those "bases" is not possible.
So what are the real numbers? If you throw in joint operations with other nations, academies, camps run by the National Guard, research facilities and the Pentagon we have approximately 156 location not 700. And it is 19 countries not 120. And that number includes the US, Puerto Rico and Guam.
Should we cut down on that number? Maybe. Although we have cut that down drastically from what those numbers were during the Cold War. Since 1988 we have closed over 350 bases.
But if you are going to argue for base closures please use the correct numbers.
We also have a lot of small bases scattered around that could easily be closed without jeopardizing our security, and in most cases the security of the host country.
No, not really. Most of those bases have been closed already. In fact, considering that we have states that lack any bases at all there is a strong argument to be made to many of them have been closed leaving our eggs in far too few baskets. Especially considering that we tend to cluster our bases. This leaves our military dangerously vulnerable to a crippling attack.
Hell, we had a LOT more real bases back in the olden days....