--- title: "Netflix won’t block movies and shows for deployed US troops" description: "Not too long ago, We Are The Mighty [listed the awesome movies and television U.S. troops would not be able to watch]() on Netflix while deployed due to the streaming company's decision to actively enforce its ban on users who…" date: "2018-04-02" modified: "2020-10-21" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-trending/netflix-makes-exception-vpn-blocking-policy-deployed-us-troops/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "Movies and TV" --- # Netflix won’t block movies and shows for deployed US troops ![]() Not too long ago, We Are The Mighty [listed the awesome movies and television U.S. troops would not be able to watch]() on Netflix while deployed due to the streaming company's decision to actively enforce its ban on users who access the site via Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs. --- Because of restrictions in licensing certain content to certain countries, Netflix has to block users who attempt to access its U.S. servers while overseas. Netflix would even ban users who attempt to circumvent its geographic restrictions. This included U.S. troops who deploy all over the world but still watch streaming content from the good old U.S. of A. Understandably, they were very upset, as Netflix can give troops the feeling of being at home (at least for 22 minutes an episode), but that's not the end of the story. ![]() *Yes, 10 seasons of Futurama are on Netflix. That's also not the end of the story.* Netflix wants to remind U.S. troops that cheap, online, streaming content exists in the Land of the Free because of the brave. It exempts military bases from the geo-restriction policy and, according to Netflix, always has. "Netflix always exempts U.S. military bases around the world," Anne Marie Squeo, a spokeswoman for Netflix, [told Stars and Stripes](). "They will still be able to access the U.S. catalog." ![]() *The Avengers is not available on Netflix.* Certainly good news for everyone on base, but many troops overseas live off-base. Those troops will have to suck it up and accept the catalog of the country in which they live. It is important to note that while Netflix has a catalog in 192 of Earth's 196 countries, some catalogs are more diverse and expansive than others. The service is not yet available in China, probably due to the Chinese government's myriad restrictions on media. Syria, North Korea, and the Crimean Peninsula do not get Netflix service because they are currently facing U.S. government sanctions. That's too bad because North Korean cinema is really, *really* something else. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCKSR0JArUQ The company says it will spend $5 billion in the next year in hopes that eventually all its content will be available to all its subscribers, regardless of location. ![]() ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()