European bases shifted from Cold War defense to forward staging for war

Evidence

Ciscato points out that the nature of the U.S. presence in Vicenza has changed since the Cold War. In those days, he says, the Italian bases were strategically positioned to defend “against Russian invaders,” but now “it is an operative site. People from here—they don’t stay here … They go to war and come back. They bring their damages back. They rest. They go to war again.” Now, he said, “We’re talking about combat units being here. It’s a bit different.” — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 907

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the book’s core argument that forward bases enable overseas wars and export their human costs into host communities.