"Use the slider at the base of the map to view troop strength over time. You'll find that the 2007 map is far more interactive: Zoom in on a region with a click, and then select a country to bring up its military profile below. To get from one region to another, zoom out by clicking on the ocean, then zoom back in to wherever you want to go.
The map animation that opens this package uses Pentagon worldwide troop data from every half-decade since 1950, plus 2007, the latest year for which the data is available. These numbers are often fuzzy: Some deployments are classified, others are temporary, and just because the Defense Department claims 30 US troops in Indonesia last year doesn't mean 1,500 didn't pass through on training missions. Even so, the map, and the associated research, should give you a good feel for what the Pentagon is up to around the world." http://www.motherjones.com/military-maps
