San Antonio has boomed thanks to the presence of three large military bases, and the well-managed closure of a fourth in 2001 has created a vast new air- and rail-distribution port, mainly serving Mexico.

ECONOMIST: Beyond oil

As the only Division 1 athletic department in the state, they enjoy one of the largest local fan bases in the U.S. Also, just three years into his role as head coach, Tubby Smith has led the team to consecutive NCAA tournaments for the first time in 15 years (though officially it's the first time in school history, since those earlier appearances were vacated by the NCAA).

FORBES

OKINAWA, Japan's most southerly and poorest prefecture, is home to three-quarters of the country's American bases.

ECONOMIST: Left on the beach

Three out of the five recovery centres have been built on military bases - Tedworth House and Edinburgh are the exceptions.

BBC: Help for Heroes and MoD criticised by injured troops

The owners of three companies have announced plans for a total of 108 redundancies at their bases in Wiltshire.

BBC: UK jobs tracker

Landowners aside, the biggest fear for Okinawans generally is that, were the bases to go, so would the generous handouts that the government in Tokyo doles out as compensation for playing host to three out of four American bases in all of Japan.

ECONOMIST: Japan

In central Helmand, British troops are handing over or closing operating bases at the rate of one a week, which is reflected in casualty numbers - three years ago a coalition soldier was killed every 18 hours on average in Helmand.

BBC: UK soldier killed in Afghanistan

For example, the 10, 000 mile range of the B-2 (with one refueling) allows it to execute missions worldwide from just three strategically located bases.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Roundtable Discussion On The B-2 Bomber

As it is, the country has found itself strained by fighting three wars at a time of tight defence budgets, as well as by the rationalisation of regiments and defence bases at home.

ECONOMIST: France's foreign policy