the territory (an important point or region in a strategic or political sense) and the troops located on it with their supplies of armaments, ammunition, food, and other material resources needed for combat and everyday activity. In capitalist states military bases are established in the country itself and in a number of cases—in accordance with special aims which are, as a rule, expansionist—in other states. The seizure of important areas in other states for the purposes of establishing military bases has long marked the tendency toward colonial expansion on the part of capitalist states. This became particularly widespread in the age of imperialism, when a number of capitalist states created such bases in their colonies and in dependent semicolonial countries in order to carry out aggressive imperialist policies. A large number of military bases were established by imperialist states, primarily the United States, in various countries after World War II. The USSR does not have military bases in other states.
Modern military bases can be subdivided into missile bases, air bases, naval bases, and general-purpose military bases. Missile bases are complexes made up of launching sites, command posts, and missile-maintenance and logistic support units. Examples are the US intercontinental missile bases for the purpose of delivering nuclear missile attacks on targets in other countries. Air bases are used for the basing of strategic, tactical, and transport aircraft; of support and repair units; and of reserves of supplies and technical equipment for the support of combat activities. Examples are the US air bases at Rabat in Morocco, Mildenhall in Great Britain, and Torrejon in Spain and the West German air bases at Bitburg, Spangdahlem, Hahn, Wiesbaden, and elsewhere. Naval bases are used for the basing of naval forces, including such well-known advanced bases for US atomic submarines as Holy Loch in Great Britain and Rota in Spain. General-purpose military bases like those of the US at Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands or Kadena and Naha on Okinawa Island (Japan) are used for the disposition of land forces, air forces, and naval forces.