Located in Germany, the Ramstein Air Base—nicknamed "Little America"—has embodied the strategic presence of the United States in Europe since the 1950s. Thousands of American soldiers are stationed there, serving as a living symbol of the transatlantic bond and U.S. protection over the Old Continent.

As a new NATO summit opens in The Hague, Netherlands, a crucial question returns to the forefront: what is the future of the transatlantic alliance? This issue raises growing concern, particularly among European countries bordering Vladimir Putin’s Russia, as the war in Ukraine continues, recently marked by strikes in the Sumy region and drone attacks in Kharkiv.

NATO, born from the North Atlantic Treaty signed on April 4, 1949, by twelve founding countries, was originally intended to place Europe under the U.S. military shield—the only nuclear power at the time—to deter the USSR from any aggression against the West. The treaty remains grounded in a collective defense clause: an attack against one member is considered an attack against all.

As of 2025, the United States maintains unmatched military power: 1.3 million active-duty troops, over 5,000 nuclear warheads, and global power projection capabilities. Several American B61 nuclear bombs are still deployed in Germany, Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands, operated under a dual-key mechanism requiring joint authorization for use.

America's technological dominance is also evident in the sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to thirteen European countries. However, these aircraft remain dependent on the United States, particularly for maintenance, which is managed through U.S. software that requires regular connection—a form of enduring technological and strategic dependency.

Since the onset of Russia’s so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine and the return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Europe is once again asking itself: Can it still count on Washington? At the Munich Security Conference in February 2025, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance urged Europeans to “double their efforts to ensure their own defense in the coming years.”

In this context, Ramstein Air Base is no longer merely a symbol of American support—it has become a marker of a strategic crossroads: Can Europe, and does it truly want to, free itself from the American umbrella?