Donald Trump has announced that he will significantly reduce the number of US troops in Germany. However, US military bases are not only an important economic factor - they are of extreme strategic importance for the US and Europe.
The US has announced that it will withdraw five thousand soldiers from Germany in six to twelve months. Currently, between 35,000 and 39,000 US soldiers are stationed in the country - the most in all of Europe. The US military bases in Germany play a significant role beyond the borders of the Federal Republic and the Old Continent.
US soldiers in Germany are distributed in 20 different locations, mainly in the south and southwest of the country. If smaller military structures are also counted, they number about 40.
Ramstein and Spangdahlem - key centers for the US Air Force
The largest of them is Ramstein, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. This is the largest US base outside the territory of the US. Ramstein is a key center for soldiers, weapons and goods, including for the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe.
It is there that the headquarters of the US Air Force for Europe is located, as well as the NATO command and control center for the military surveillance of the airspace of all European partners in the Alliance. The air base also has a satellite station, which is of great importance for the use of American combat drones - for example in the Middle East. Near Ramstein is also located the largest US military hospital outside its territory - in the town of Landstuhl, where wounded soldiers from Europe, Africa and the Middle East are treated.
Ramstein in Germany is the largest US military base outside the US Photo: Boris Roessler/dpa/picture alliance
About 120 kilometers to the northwest is the Spangdahl military base. There is a squadron of about 20 F-16 fighter jets, which is supposed to act as a rapid reaction force in military and crisis situations. The squadron serves to protect NATO's eastern flank and specializes in neutralizing enemy air defenses in the event of an emergency.
The United States leads operations and trains allies in Germany
While Ramstein and Spandalem are the operational centers of the US Army in Europe, Stuttgart and Wiesbaden are the strategic brains. Both the US European and African Commands are located in the capital of Baden-Württemberg. All military operations on these two continents are directed from there. Wiesbaden is the headquarters for all ground forces in Europe and Africa. Military supplies and training for the Ukrainian army are also coordinated from there.
The most important training center for the US armed forces in Europe is located in Bavaria - in the municipalities of Grafenwöhr and Hohenfels. Grafenwöhr has one of the largest and most modern training ranges in the world. In Hohenfels, realistic military scenarios are played out, including with the participation of civilians as extras. Thousands of NATO soldiers are trained at both locations every year in order to improve cross-border cooperation.
There are also American nuclear weapons in Germany
The Büchel Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate is considered the only remaining nuclear weapons base in Germany - although neither the US nor Germany has officially confirmed this. Germany, like some other European countries, participates in the so-called NATO nuclear cooperation. This means that the US is storing nuclear weapons in Europe, which in the event of an emergency would be transported by aircraft of European NATO partners.
According to the Stockholm Armaments Institute SIPRI, the US has between 15 and 20 tactical nuclear bombs in Büchel.
A leading ally for decades
The US has so many bases in Germany for historical reasons. After the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, West Germany was divided into three occupation zones. The US occupied the southern and southwestern parts of the country, where most US troops are still concentrated today. With the onset of the Cold War, West Germany's role changed and it became a key ally of the United States, sharing a border with the GDR and Czechoslovakia, two Warsaw Pact countries.
Both West Germans and Americans were keen to expand the American military presence as a deterrent to the Soviet Union. By 1985, over 250,000 American troops were temporarily stationed in the Federal Republic. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989 and 1990, Germany remained an important ally for the United States, and the bases in the country were crucial for both operations in the Middle East and Africa and for securing NATO's eastern flank against Russia.
American soldiers are also a factor in the local economy
Today, American bases are also an important economic factor for the German regions in which they are located. The bases are a major investor and an important employer for local people. More than 10,000 German citizens work for the American army, and around 70,000 more jobs depend on it indirectly - for example in the fields of logistics, construction and services.
The United States invests billions every year in the operation, expansion and modernization of its military bases in Germany. American soldiers and their families spend a large part of their salaries in local shops and businesses. The American military community in Kaiserslautern alone contributes up to 3.5 billion euros to the regional economy every year.