March 31, 2014 DOD statistics reveal an interesting snapshot of our U.S. troops serving in about 182 countries around the world. While Americans pay particular attention to Iraq and Afghanistan, we find many countries in areas of turmoil (Africa, Mideast, etc.) where our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen greatly appreciate care packages.
276,875 - Total U.S. Troops Serving Outside the U.S. and its Territories.
... 159,931 - classified as 'Military' troops
... 116,944 - classified as 'Overseas Contingency Operations' troops ("war on terror")
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OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY OPERATION (OCO) TROOPS ("war on terror")
116,944 OCO Troops serving outside the U.S. and its territories
Defense Manpower Data Center - as of March 31, 2014
These OCO troops are in Iraq, Afghanistan, and many other countries. Their movements are fluid and their troops numbers are not included in the "Military Troops" figures below.
* Totals include deployed Reserve/National Guard personnel.
* OCO Troops include troops from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.
MILITARY TROOPS (figures below do not include the OCO troops above)
159,931 Military troops serving outside the U.S. and its territories
North Africa, Near East and South Asia - 4,759 troops (about 20 countries)
* Top 3: Bahrain - 3,115, Qatar - 592, Saudi Arabia - 318
Sub-Saharan Africa - 334 troops (about 33 countries)
* Top 3: South Africa - 176, Kenya - 29, Ghana - 12
Europe - 67,383 troops (about 37 countries)
* Top 3: Germany - 40,328, Italy - 11,080, U.K. - 9,485
Former Soviet Union - 81 troops (about 11 countries)
* Top 3: Russia - 25, Ukraine - 15, Kazakhstan - 9
East Asia and Pacific - 51,929 troops (about 21 countries)
* Top 3: Japan - 50,631, Brit. Indian Ocn. Terr. - 528, Thailand - 266
Western Hemisphere - 1,692 troops (about 30 countries)
* Top 3: Cuba - 801, Honduras - 366, Canada - 135
Undistributed - 33,753 troops
* Includes Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Republic of Korea and unknown or classified locations.
Serving in United States and Territories - 1,194,123 troops
Other countries with 50+ military personnel (not counting the 100,000+ OCO troops):
Australia - 178, Belgium - 1,203, Colombia - 50, Egypt - 258, France - 64, Greece - 380
Greenland - 137, Hungary - 55, Netherlands - 377, Norway - 79, Portugal - 708
Singapore - 172, Spain - 1,797, Turkey - 1,518, United Arab Emirates - 313
How can you help our nonprofit send care packages to some of the most remote of the roughly 150,000 U.S. military troops serving overseas in 2024?
1) Donate Financially - Our greatest need is cash for our mailing costs. With no paid staff, we strive to maximize the use of donations. We are a 501(c)(3) charity, so your gifts are tax deductible. We accept checks to Airborne Angel Cadets of Texas, P.O. Box 116691, Carrollton, TX 75011. You can donate via credit card through our Click and Pledge account. Or you can Venmo us at NancyCarter@AirborneAngels.