Deborah Cole

So the actual American presence is through that exponentially bigger.

The Americans just in Germany alone have 20 to 40 bases, depending on sort of how you define a military base.

But it is a very large presence.

We talked earlier about Rammstein bases.

And the essential importance that that has as part of NATO, as you were saying earlier, Helen, that it's not only the Americans who use Rammstein, but many, many NATO members.

And it is not only, I think Trump often in the way he speaks about it, puts it in terms that

The American military presence in Germany is only to defend Germans and Europeans.

And that is far from the case.

I mean, as we're seeing right now in the Iran war, Rammstein and the other bases are extremely important as part of this military operation and just in general.

It is, you know, sort of a forward launching pad, essentially, for military operations in Africa, you know, in the Middle East.

We mentioned Afghanistan.

I mean, I've been based in Germany for a long time.

And, you know, it used to be down in Stuttgart, which is where the European command is based.

It's also where the U.S.

Africa command is based and go to briefings with the Supreme Allied commander there.

you know, constantly because everything was being planned, for example, after 9-11 in Afghanistan and then later in Iraq, you know, from patch barracks in Stuttgart, Germany.

So there's a whole sort of infrastructure that has been built up over decades.

And so the idea that you could sort of just toss this out the window and still have the same projection of American power throughout this enormous region is completely illusory.

Well, again, we have sick historical perspective on all of this.

I mean, the horror unleashed by Nazi Germany and its military.