footprint

[vil]

Dear teachers,

Would you been kind enough to share with mr your opinion concerning the mentioned below interpretation of the expression in bold in the following sentences?

The Pentagon's goal: shrink its footprint in foreign lands, but retain enough power and flexibility to defend American interests.

With a bigger footprint in Iraq, the US would also gain greater access to a region where it has been relatively limited since the days of Iran's pro-US Shah.

footprint = attendance

Thanks for your efforts.

Regards,

V.

[Rover_KE]

It's probably more like influence or presence.

Rover