List of United States drone bases explained

This is a list of United States drone bases, containing military bases from which the United States operates unmanned aerial vehicles.

Active

CountryBase, locationOperation datesOperationsNotes
Burkina FasoOuagadougou Airport[1] since 2007surveillance of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb over Mali, Mauritania and the Sahara
CameroonGaroua International Airport, Garoua[2] fight against Boko Haram in Nigeria
ChadN’Djamena[3] since 2014[4] fight against Boko Haram in Nigeria
DjiboutiChabelley Airport[5] since 2013
GermanyRamstein Air Base
KuwaitAli Al Salem Air Basefrom at least 2014bombing ISIL in Iraq
PhilippinesZamboanga International Airport[6] since 2012[7] bombing Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah in Southern Philippines
QatarAl Udeid Air Base[8] bombing ISIL in Iraq
Saudi ArabiaUmm Al Melh Border Guards Airport[9] since 2011bombing Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIL in Yemen[10] [11] secret CIA base
SeychellesUnited States drone base in Seychelles,Seychelles International Airportsince 2009surveillance of Al-Shabaab over Somalia
SomaliaKismayo Airport[12] surveillance of Al-Shabaab over Somaliaoperated by the Joint Special Operations Command
TunisiaBizerte-Sidi Ahmed Air Base[13] since June 2016[14] surveillance missions over Libya
TurkeyIncirlik Air Base, Adana[15] bombing ISIL and other groups in Syria[16]
United Arab EmiratesAl Dhafra Air Basebombing ISIL in Iraq

Former

CountryBase, locationOperation datesOperationsNotes
AfghanistanKandahar International Airportuntil 2022
AfghanistanForward Operating Base Chapman, Khost[17] until 2022CIA facility
AfghanistanJalalabad Airportuntil 2022CIA-operated drones
AfghanistanBagram Airfielduntil 2022CIA-operated drones
DjiboutiCamp Lemonnier[18] 2010-2013bombing Al-Shabaab in Somalia, and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIL in Yemenoperations moved to Chabelley over public safety concerns
EthiopiaArba Minch Airport[19] 2011-2016bombing Al Qaeda in East Africa
ItalyNaval Air Station Sigonella[20] 2016-2019bombing ISIL in Libya in defense of special forces fighting ISIL
MauritaniaNouakchottuntil 2008operations ended after the 2008 Mauritanian coup d'état
NigerNigerien Air Base 201, Agadez2019-2024[21] operations ended after the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état
NigerMano Dayak International Airport, Agadez[22] 2014-2024operations ended after the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état
NigerDiori Hamani International Airport, Niamey2013-2024operations ended after the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état
PakistanShamsi Airfield, Balochistan province[23] until 2011bombing Taliban and other Islamist militants in the tribal areas of PakistanCIA ordered to leave after killing of Pakistani soldiers
UzbekistanKarshi-Khanabad Air Baseuntil 2005[24] CIA facility evicted by the Uzbek government

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: U.S. expands secret intelligence operations in Africa. Whitlock. Craig. 2012-06-13. The Washington Post. en-US. 0190-8286. 2016-04-14. 2020-04-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20200419053051/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-expands-secret-intelligence-operations-in-africa/2012/06/13/gJQAHyvAbV_story.html. live.
  2. Web site: Can the US' new drone base in Cameroon help fight Boko Haram?. Public Radio International. en-US. 2016-04-14. 2016-05-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20160506062754/http://www.pri.org/stories/2016-03-01/can-us-new-drone-base-cameroon-help-fight-boko-haram. live.
  3. News: Dealing With Boko Haram. 2014-05-30. The New York Times. 0362-4331. 2016-04-14. 2016-04-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20160419024021/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/31/opinion/dealing-with-boko-haram.html. live.
  4. News: U.S. deploys 80 troops to Chad to help find kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls. Londoño. Ernesto. 2014-05-21. The Washington Post. en-US. 0190-8286. 2016-04-10. 2016-06-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20160602134744/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-deploys-80-military-personnel-to-chad/2014/05/21/edd7d21a-e11d-11e3-810f-764fe508b82d_story.html. live.
  5. News: U.S. moves drone fleet from Camp Lemonnier to ease Djibouti's safety concerns. Whitlock. Craig. 2013-09-24. Miller. Greg. The Washington Post. en-US. 0190-8286. 2016-04-11. 2016-04-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20160407033609/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/drone-safety-concerns-force-us-to-move-large-fleet-from-camp-lemonnier-in-djibouti/2013/09/24/955518c4-213c-11e3-a03d-abbedc3a047c_story.html. live.
  6. Web site: Where the Drones Are. Micah Zenko, Emma. Welch. 29 May 2012 . 2020-04-01. 2020-03-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20200330172127/https://foreignpolicy.com/2012/05/29/where-the-drones-are/. live.
  7. Web site: Deadly Drone Strike on Muslims in the Southern Philippines . 2012-03-05 . The Brookings Institution . en . 2016-04-10 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140413032655/http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2012/03/05-drones-philippines-ahmed . 2014-04-13 .
  8. News: U.S. relies on Persian Gulf bases for airstrikes in Iraq. Whitlock. Craig. 2014-08-25. The Washington Post. en-US. 0190-8286. 2016-04-10. 2016-03-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20160311122516/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-relies-on-persian-gulf-bases-for-airstrikes-in-iraq/2014/08/25/517dcde0-2c7a-11e4-9b98-848790384093_story.html. live.
  9. Is This the Secret U.S. Drone Base in Saudi Arabia?. WIRED. en-US. 2016-04-10. 2014-03-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20140329201837/http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/02/secret-drone-base-2. live.
  10. News: CIA operating drone base in Saudi Arabia, US media reveal - BBC News. BBC News. 6 February 2013. en-GB. 2016-04-10. 2016-06-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20160611135548/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-21350437. live.
  11. News: In a first, U.S. launches deadly strikes on ISIS training camps in Yemen . The Washington Post . 2017-10-17 . 2022-02-22 . 2020-10-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201013132142/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/10/16/dozens-of-isis-fighters-killed-in-yemen-strikes-pentagon-says/ . live .
  12. Web site: Exclusive: U.S. Operates Drones From Secret Bases in Somalia. Foreign Policy. 2 July 2015 . 2016-04-10. 2016-04-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20160407033809/http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/07/02/exclusive-u-s-operates-drones-from-secret-bases-in-somalia-special-operations-jsoc-black-hawk-down/. live.
  13. Web site: Drone Bases Updates. October 1, 2018. April 1, 2020. March 21, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200321224539/https://dronecenter.bard.edu/drone-bases-updates/. live.
  14. News: U.S. has secretly expanded its global network of drone bases to North Africa. Washington Post. 2016-10-30. 2021-10-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20211001101600/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-has-secretly-expanded-its-global-network-of-drone-bases-to-north-africa/2016/10/26/ff19633c-9b7d-11e6-9980-50913d68eacb_story.html. live.
  15. Web site: US Drone Crashes in Turkey. Defense News. 3 February 2016 . 2016-04-10. 2022-02-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20220222163514/https://www.defensenews.com/air/2016/02/03/us-drone-crashes-in-turkey/. live.
  16. Web site: U.S. begins armed drone flights out of Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. CBS News. 3 August 2015 . 2016-04-10. 2016-04-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20160404194801/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-begins-armed-drone-flights-out-of-turkey/. live.
  17. Web site: The End of Drone War?. The American Conservative. 4 March 2014 . en-us. 2016-04-11. 2016-05-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20160531205010/http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-end-of-drone-war/. live.
  18. News: Remote U.S. base at core of secret operations. Whitlock. Craig. 2012-10-25. The Washington Post. en-US. 0190-8286. 2016-04-10. 2016-04-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20160407033906/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/remote-us-base-at-core-of-secret-operations/2012/10/25/a26a9392-197a-11e2-bd10-5ff056538b7c_story.html. live.
  19. News: U.S. drone base in Ethiopia is operational. Whitlock. Craig. 2011-10-27. The Washington Post. en-US. 0190-8286. 2016-04-10. 2014-03-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20140324003552/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-drone-base-in-ethiopia-is-operational/2011/10/27/gIQAznKwMM_story.html. live.
  20. News: Italy to allow US drones to fly out of Sicily air base for attacks on Isis. Kirchgaessner. Stephanie. 2016-02-22. The Guardian. en-GB. 0261-3077. 2016-04-10. 2016-04-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20160410011315/http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/22/italy-us-military-drones-isis-libya-sicily-base. live.
  21. Web site: Pentagon's Own Map of U.S. Bases in Africa Contradicts Its Claim of "Light" Footprint. Nick. Turse. The Intercept. 27 February 2020. 1 April 2020. 20 December 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211220060145/https://theintercept.com/2020/02/27/africa-us-military-bases-africom/. live.
  22. News: Pentagon set to open second drone base in Niger as it expands operations in Africa. Whitlock. Craig. 2014-08-31. The Washington Post. en-US. 0190-8286. 2016-04-02. 2016-04-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20160407033825/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pentagon-set-to-open-second-drone-base-in-niger-as-it-expands-operations-in-africa/2014/08/31/365489c4-2eb8-11e4-994d-202962a9150c_story.html. live.
  23. News: C.I.A. Leaves Pakistan Base Used for Drone Strikes. Masood. Salman. 2011-12-11. The New York Times. 0362-4331. 2016-04-10. 2017-03-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20170320135436/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/12/world/asia/cia-leaves-pakistan-base-used-for-drone-strikes.html. live.
  24. Web site: US seeks new bases for drones targeting al-Qaida in Pakistan. Stars and Stripes. 2016-04-11. 2016-06-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20160603042030/http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/us-seeks-new-bases-for-drones-targeting-al-qaida-in-pakistan-1.268098. live.

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