The Ramstein Air Base in Germany plays an extremely important role as a logistics center for US military missions around the world. It is currently in the spotlight again because of the war in Iran.
The Ramstein Air Base is a separate world - a military complex with runways, hangars and numerous buildings. The facility is something of a separate small town in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Although it is located on German territory, the military base enjoys the immunity of an embassy: German officials and politicians can enter there only with the permission of its American commander.
The largest US air base in Europe employs about 9,000 people. "Ramstein Air Base is an extremely important logistics center for the US military. It is also known as the gateway to Europe - from there US aircraft continue to Africa and the Middle East," former NATO arms control director William Alburk told DW. However, he is categorical: "Ramstein is not a center for combat operations."
The military facilities also include the nearby medical center in Landstuhl - the largest US military hospital outside the US. In total, about 50,000 Americans and their families live in the region. They have their own schools, shops and service providers. The American presence is also of great importance to the local economy.
Ramstein becomes increasingly important
It all began in 1952 at an airport that was used by Adolf Hitler's air force during World War II and which was taken over by the US army shortly before the end of the war in 1945. The airport and the administrative part were expanded and gradually became an increasingly large complex for American troops in Germany, and later for NATO.
Since 1971, Ramstein has also been home to the military air command, which has its own transport aircraft. In 1973, the headquarters of the US Air Forces in Europe was moved from Wiesbaden to Ramstein. A year later, a NATO command office for air force management was also established in Ramstein. From Ramstein, NATO controls the Alliance's missile defense, as well as the space activities of its member states. NASA also uses Ramstein occasionally for research flights.
Two major incidents
In the 1980s, two major incidents were associated with Ramstein: in August 1981, members of the left-wing extremist organization "Red Army Faction" carried out a bomb attack on the base, injuring 20 people, some of them seriously. In those years, American military facilities were regularly targeted by left-wing extremists.
In August 1988, during an air show in Ramstein, planes from an Italian squadron collided in mid-air, and one of them crashed into the stands with spectators. That killed 70 people and injured hundreds more. This became one of the biggest tragedies at an air show, and no such events have been held at Ramstein since.
It is believed that nuclear weapons were also stored at Ramstein, although this has never been officially confirmed. According to experts, they were withdrawn in 2005. Today, the Büchel base in the Eifel region is considered the only place in Germany where US nuclear weapons are stored.
Control of combat drones
Ramstein is gaining increasing importance thanks to its flight control center, from where the operations of US combat drones are controlled. This has repeatedly sparked debates about whether Germany is indirectly involved in targeted American counter-terrorism operations in Asia and Africa, in which people are also killed.
A lawsuit was also filed against the German state on this issue. It concerned deadly drone strikes on targets in Yemen that were directed from Ramstein in 2012. The plaintiffs were two Yemenis whose relatives were killed in such an operation by American drones. In 2025, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that Ramstein had been used legally in this case. However, the decision cannot be seen as a carte blanche for unlimited military use of Ramstein.
Ramstein also became a topic of media attention around the world after the terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001 in connection with alleged flights carrying kidnapped terrorist suspects who passed through Ramstein on their way to secret American prisons. The airport is also regularly used for evacuation flights. For example, Ramstein played a central role in the evacuation of people from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021 after the Taliban took power.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, meetings of countries supporting Ukraine were held in Ramstein. The expression “the Ramstein group” quickly became established. However, these meetings in support of Ukraine ended with the start of Donald Trump’s second term in office in early 2025.
Trump threatened to reduce troops in Germany
In 2020, during his first presidential term, Donald Trump said that he could significantly reduce the number of US troops in Germany, arguing that Germany was not paying enough for its own defense. Such a step would also seriously affect Ramstein. In this regard, the former commander of US forces in Europe, General Ben Hodges, sharply criticized this as a “colossal mistake“: “The decision shows that the president does not understand how important the units based in Germany are for America's security“, the senior military official told the magazine “Spiegel“. At the beginning of his second term in early 2025, Trump again questioned the presence of US troops in Germany. In the meantime, however, Germany significantly increased its defense spending. After the inauguration of Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz in May 2025 and several visits by the Chancellor to Washington, these hints ceased.
The War in Iran
Latest, with the start of the latest US attacks on Iran, it became clear again how important Ramstein is as a logistics base in Europe. Spain has temporarily closed its military bases to the US because the government in Madrid considers the attacks on Iran to be contrary to international law. The Left Party in Germany is demanding the same for Ramstein - for the same reason. Leaving aside the fact that Chancellor Merz supported US actions against Iran, is it legally possible for this to happen? "It would be very difficult for the German government to limit US operations at Ramstein," former NATO arms control director William Alburk told DW. "If they wanted to, they could do it, but that would be very unusual and I don't think they want to," he added.