Deploying insecurity

Abstract

United States military facilities and personnel in East Asia continue to inflict devastating harm on local communities, especially on women and children. Incidences of sexual violence and exploitation happen far too frequently to be dismissed as aberrations. Thousands of Amerasian children are abandoned by their U.S. military fathers and raised by single mothers, extended families or institutions in societies that discriminate against them. Increasing health problems around current and former U.S. bases have been linked to environmental destruction. Land, water and air are polluted with toxic waste and noise, resulting in high rates of illness, low‐birth‐weight babies and deafness. Despite this damage to the social and natural environment, the U.S. remains firmly committed to its forward‐deployment strategy.