Fact-checking Ron Paul's claim about troops and bases overseas

But wait, scanning the list, you also see nine troops in Mali, eight in Barbados, seven in Laos, six in Lithuania, five in Lebanon, four in Moldova, three in Mongolia, two in Suriname and one in Gabon. Most of the countries on the list, in fact, have puny military representation.

Not only that, but we count 153 countries with U.S. military personnel, actually higher than the 130 cited by Paul.

What’s going on here? The answer is that the list essentially tracks with places where the United States has a substantial diplomatic presence. (The United States has diplomatic relations with about 190 countries.)

In other words, Paul is counting Marine guards and military attaches as part of a vast expanse of U.S. military power around the globe. But this document indicates that only 11 countries actually house more than 1,000 U.S. military personnel.