This talk examines how sociological theories of the US state have approached the origins and characteristics of state power. Since the 'war on terror' and the public's exposure to the size and sheer force of the military-industrial-complex in the making of the Iraq war, scholars have begun to highlight the vast network of military bases overseas and debating over whether or not 'empire' best defines U.S. global power. More specifically, the military's role in state-craft, the preservation of overseas bases, and the maintenance of the U.S. leadership in the international hierarchy have led some scholars to argue that the United States has become an empire through its military strength. By examining the history of the US military presence in south Korea since 1945, this talk examines how military bases and military formations are and have been central to US state formation. Specifically, the talk examines how focusing on the activities of the US military in analyses of the US state can complicate assumptions of the US as a nation-state and refocus our attention to the centrality of race, violence, and law in US empire-state formations.