Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC)World ...

types of interactions between the asset and the
affected population. The more direct interaction there
is between the asset and the affected population,
the more politically sensitive the aid is. The nations
that deploy the military assets and the countries that
receive the aid have to arrive at an understanding
about the level of contact in order for the asset to be
fully utilized.
the predominance of aircraft in military assets
provided is expected given that getting personnel
and humanitarian relief supplies to a disaster site
requires air transport. 111 Moving relief goods and
personnel between countries or within countries, but
not directly to the affected population, is the least
politically sensitive and controversial use of foreign
military assets. However, the use of military aircraft
to transport goods and personnel to or around
affected areas or to carry out missions such as search
and rescue is more politically sensitive. 112
Many countries often send military medical
support assets to disaster relief operations in the
form of medical supplies, field hospitals, doctors, and
medical professionals. This type of provision is more
controversial than air transport because it involves a
higher degree of direct contact between the affected
populations and foreign military personnel. 113 despite
this fact, countries have continued to dispatch
medical support for several reasons. These include:
1) the visibility and media exposure from having
one’s armed forces saving lives in a foreign disaster
situations; and 2) overwhelming humanitarian need
that cannot be met by local health infrastructure
or by the humanitarian agencies responding to the
disaster. 114
Recent Developments
On August 30, 2012, Uzbekistan lawmakers
approved a foreign policy bill that banned the
creation of foreign military bases in the country and its
participation in military blocs. 115 to many experts, the
bill is seen as a symbolic gesture toward both Russia
and the United States as the country’s geopolitical
importance grows ahead of the pull of troops from
Afghanistan. 116 This bill was passed shortly after
Uzbekistan’s exit from a Russia-led military alliance.
The exit had sparked debate about Uzbekistan’s
changing allegiances and willingness to establish
U.S. bases on its territory. Some observers view the
bill as a demonstration of goodwill to Moscow after
Uzbekistan quit the Russian-led Collective Security
Treaty Organization (ODKB). 117
In 2005, Uzbekistan closed a U.S. airbase following
Western criticisms of Uzbekistan’s handling of
unrest in the city of Andijan. Currently, Germany uses
Uzbekistan’s Termez airport near Afghanistan and
has troops stationed there.
The Role and Utility of Overseas Military Bases
Overseas military bases serve important purposes
for a sovereign’s strategic interests abroad.
According to Andrew Krepinevich and Robert Work,
“The ultimate aim of any global military posture is
to achieve advantages in global strategic reaction
time, geographic positioning of forces, and force
concentration and support, and thereby contribute
to a favorable strategic balance in both peace and
war. 118
Case Study: U.S. Military Bases in Okinawa
The issue of U.S. bases in Okinawa is complex
because of the various conflicting economic, social,
and political forces both within Japan and between
Japan the U.S.
Okinawa is the largest island of the Japanese
Ryukyu archipelago. Although Okinawa’s surface
area represents less than one percent of Japan’s
landmass, it hosts more than three-quarters of U.S.
bases located on Japanese territory. 119 the island hosts
23,000 U.S. soldiers and 21,000 of their relatives. This
represents one in three American soldiers stationed
in the Asia-Pacific region. 120
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