A forward operating site (FOS) or forward operating location (FOL) is a U.S. military term for facilities, defined as "a scalable, 'warm' facility that can support sustained operations, but with only a small permanent presence of support or contractor personnel as opposed to a FOB or MOB. A FOS will host occasional rotational forces and many contain pre-positioned equipment."[1] These sites were established as the Pentagon began to address regional threats primarily in Africa and Latin America following its 2004 global posture review.[2]
An FOS is differentiated from a cooperative security location (CSL) with no permanent force or contractor personnel, or a forward operating base (FOB) and main operating base (MOB), with a large force and a well-defended site.
Locations
editThey include, but are not limited to the following locations:
Asia
editCaribbean
edit- Curaçao International Airport, Curaçao, Kingdom of the Netherlands[4]
- Queen Beatrix International Airport, Aruba, Kingdom of the Netherlands[4]
Central America
editEurope
edit- RAF Fairford, United Kingdom[3]
- Bulgaria,[5] see List of joint US-Bulgarian military bases
- Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, Romania[5]
Africa
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Strategic Theater Transformation". United States European Command. 2005-01-14. Archived from the original on 2007-02-04. Retrieved 2007-02-07.
- ^ "U.S. European Command Statement Following President Bush's Remarks Addressing Global Posture". United States European Command. 2004-08-16. Archived from the original on 2017-03-31. Retrieved 2007-02-07.
- ^ a b c "Presence, Not Permanence". United States Air Force. August 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-11-07. Retrieved 2007-02-07.
- ^ a b "Agreement of Cooperation between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Government of the United States of America Concerning Access to and Use of Facilities in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba for Aerial Counter-Narcotics Activities". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands). 2 March 2000. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
- ^ a b c d "U.S. to keep two forward bases in North Africa". World Tribune. 2005-03-15. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
- ^ "U.S. expands military outposts worldwide". NBC News. 2004-09-22. Retrieved 2007-02-09.