Movement toward ‘lily pads’ intended to increase flexibility. The U.S. military is quietly expanding its network of small outposts worldwide to help fight terrorism in Middle East and African hotspots, even as it prepares to send home tens of thousands of Cold War era troops from bases in Germany and South Korea. Among the places the military already has placed or hopes to base such new “lily pads” or jumping off points: the eastern European nations of Bulgaria and Romania; a pier in Singapore; and a tiny island off the oil-rich coast of West Africa. Full Story