american troops

Despite the president's criticism of the alliance, his administration has spent far more on a European defense program than did the Obama White House. U.S. troop levels in Europe have also risen.

The U.S. military had around 18,000 troops in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan at the end of last year. The official numbers have gone up in all three countries and now total about 26,000.

Following a gruesome killing, allegedly by a former Marine, controversy over the presence of American troops on Okinawa is adding another layer to Obama's historic trip this week.