High-altitude military bases serve critical roles along mountainous borders worldwide

Some of the world's highest military airports are located on or near contentious borders. India's Daulat Beg Oldi base in Ladakh sits at approximately 16,700 feet above sea level—higher than any point in the contiguous United States—and serves as a strategic post near China. Other examples include China's Bangda (Qamdo Bamda) Airfield at 14,219 feet and Bolivia's El Alto Airbase at 13,325 feet.

Countries like Switzerland have also used mountainous geography defensively by building underground hangars to protect aircraft from attacks on the ground—a strategy mirrored by Iran and Taiwan.

The need for high-altitude airbases varies by country. The United States has less strategic requirement for such facilities because its borders are largely unmilitarized and defined by natural features like rivers or fixed latitudes rather than mountain ranges. Instead, U.S. forces focus on power projection abroad and use remote desert areas such as Area 51 or Davis-Monthan Air Force Base—home to thousands of retired aircraft stored in Arizona’s dry climate—for specialized operations.

In contrast, countries where much of the territory lies at high elevation must adapt their infrastructure accordingly. In Bolivia’s Altiplano region—the world’s second-highest plateau after Tibet—the average altitude reaches about 12,300 feet; La Paz itself is nearly 12,000 feet above sea level.

Overall, while not every nation requires high-altitude military airfields due to geography or defense priorities, these installations remain crucial where mountainous terrain defines national boundaries or training needs demand adaptation to extreme environments.