U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees discuss military construction projects in Camp Kosciuszko, Poland, May 19, 2025. A recent poll by Nira Data showed a 51% support rate for hosting U.S. military bases in Poland, among the highest of the 97 countries surveyed. (Hannah Mitchell/U.S. Army)
STUTTGART, Germany — Poland and South Korea are the only foreign countries with strong public support for hosting U.S. military bases, according to a new poll that found opposition to the idea in 90 of 97 countries surveyed.
The findings, released this month in an index compiled by the Nira Data polling organization, also found limited support for American bases in countries that host large numbers of U.S. forces.
In Germany, which hosts more than 30,000 troops, U.S. bases had a net approval rating of minus-9, with about 30% supporting them, 39% opposed and the rest uncertain. Results were nearly identical in the United Kingdom, where the U.S. operates several air bases.
In Italy — home to U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force installations — support was even lower, with a net approval rating of minus-33. About 51% of respondents opposed the U.S. military presence there, according to the report.
Demonstrators with the Italian group No Muos protest outside Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, on March 20, 2022. About 51% of Italian respondents in a recent survey said they are opposed to U.S. military presence in the country. (Facebook/No Muos)
Poland was the most supportive country surveyed, with a net approval rating of plus-27 and about 51% of respondents backing U.S. bases. Only Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory included in the survey, showed stronger support.
Among countries that host U.S. troops, South Korea had the second-highest support, with a net approval rating of plus-14, according to the poll. Romania and Japan each registered plus-2. Israel, which does not host permanent U.S. troop deployments, scored plus-21.
Poland’s strong showing comes amid growing questions about the future of the U.S. force posture in Europe. Earlier this month, the Pentagon announced plans to pull 5,000 troops from Germany. The Pentagon has also canceled the deployment of a Fort Hood, Texas-based armored brigade of 4,000 soldiers to Europe, a move that would have involved thousands of soldiers rotating through Poland.
The Pentagon has not provided details on its precise plans for drawing force levels down in Europe.
Around 8,000 U.S. troops operate in Poland, mostly on a rotational basis. Poland has long sought a larger American presence and its leaders have urged Washington to shift some troops set to leave Germany to Poland instead.
The weaker support for U.S. bases in countries such as Germany comes amid growing diplomatic strain between Berlin and Washington.
President Donald Trump’s decision to reduce troop levels in Germany followed criticism from Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the U.S. handling of the conflict with Iran.
While the poll, conducted between March and April, shows overall negative German sentiment about U.S. bases, opinions likely vary by region. For example, the German community near Ramstein Air Base and the broader Kaiserslautern Military Community in southwest Germany, has long relied economically on the large U.S. presence.
Likewise, in small garrison towns in Bavaria such as Vilseck, the U.S. military serves as the community’s economic engine.
Local leaders in both locations have reacted negatively to recently reported reductions to U.S. troop levels.
U.S. forces are generally concentrated in southern and western Germany. In the rest of the country, including large metropolitan areas like Berlin and Hamburg, there is essentially no connection to a U.S. presence. That is a change from the Cold War era when hundreds of thousands of American troops were based in the country.
