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Global Day of Action to #CloseBases

February 23, 2025 — at a military base near you!

Click Here to View Reports from Actions Around the World

The thousands of military bases, both foreign and domestic, around the world are a critical piece of the war machine that must be dismantled. Closing bases is a necessary step to shift the global security paradigm towards a demilitarized approach that centers common security — no one is safe until all are safe.

We call on individuals and organizations around the world to join the Global Day of Action to #CloseBases on February 23 by organizing protests at military base sites near you.

Top 5 Reasons Why We're Calling for a Global Day of Action to #CloseBases
  1. Bases often perpetuate colonialism, removing Indigenous people from their lands. From Panama to Guam to Puerto Rico to Okinawa to dozens of other locations across the world, militaries have taken valuable land from local populations, often pushing out Indigenous people in the process, without their consent and without reparations. For example, the entire population of the Chagos Islands was forcibly removed from the island of Diego Garcia by the UK so that it could be leased to the U.S. for an airbase.
  2. Bases cost an exorbitant amount of $$. The cost of U.S. foreign military bases alone is estimated at $80 billion a year, money that could be better spent on healthcare, education, renewable energy, and so much more.
  3. Bases exacerbate environmental damage and the climate crisis. Military emissions are exempted from climate agreements, like the Kyoto Protocol. The construction of bases has caused irreparable ecological damage, such as the destruction of coral reefs and the environment for endangered species in Henoko, Okinawa. Furthermore, it is well documented at hundreds of sites around the world that military bases leach toxic so-called “forever chemicals” (PFAS/PFOS) into local water supplies, which has had devastating health consequences for nearby communities.
  4. Bases can have violent and harmful impacts on local communities.
    Militaries have a notorious legacy of sexual violence, including kidnapping, rape, and murders of women and girls in nearby communities. Yet troops stationed at foreign bases are often afforded impunity for their crimes due to Status of Forces Agreements (SOFAs) with the so-called “host” country. Bases can also bring a rise in property taxes and inflation in areas surrounding them which has been known to push locals out.
  5. Bases heighten tensions and provoke war-making. The presence of hundreds of thousands of troops, massive arsenals, and thousands of aircraft, tanks, and ships in every corner of the globe facilitates war-making and promotes an arms race. Additionally, bases make locations into targets for attack. And foreign bases implicate countries in the crimes of foreign militaries.

Action types will vary based on the location of the military base in your area and who holds the power to shut the base down. All actions will be nonviolent actions that will not cause physical harm to people. Example action types include:

  • Rallies and vigils at military bases
  • Demonstrations at decision-makers’ offices, such as at embassies and Parliament buildings, to advocate for policy change to prevent, close, and convert bases
  • Flyering workers at the entrance gates as they drive in and out of the base
  • Educational events such as teach-ins about the impacts of military bases in your area
  • Celebratory events at base sites that have been prevented, closed, or converted
  • And more!

The demands for each local action will vary based on the localized impacts of the military base in your area. Example demands include:

  • Shut down an existing base
  • Halt plans for a proposed base
  • Transparency about whether nuclear weapons are stored on-site
  • Environmental remediation for pollution caused by the base
  • Justice for those harmed by military personnel stationed at the base
  • Conversion of the base site to peaceful uses

Actions Around the World on February 23

Click on the map to access details on the planned actions. Be sure to check the event details listed, since not all actions are taking place on February 23.

Contact us at greta@worldbeyondwar.org for action planning assistance.

Core Mobilization Organizers

People protest the planned relocation of a US military base in Japan to Okinawa's Henoko coast on April 17, 2015. (Reuters / Issei Kato)

Action Planning Resources

View the Action Planning Toolkit

The toolkit contains action planning tips, talking points, template emails, customizable graphics and posters, sample social media posts, and tips for media outreach including a template media advisory.

Information about Bases

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Global Day of Action to #CloseBases Endorsers

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