European Countries That Host American Miliary Bases

Map created by maven.mapping and the.world.in.mapsThe map above shows which European countries currently host at least one US military base. Here’s the list for all the countries mentioned above according to MilitaryINSTALLATIONS with links to more information about them.

However, note the list below is not exhaustive as the “site lists only those locations approved by the individual service branch. ” Therefore, you can also see a more complete list below:

Belgium

Germany

Greece

Naval Support Activity Souda Bay

Hungary

Papa Air Base

Italy

Netherlands

Norway

Stavanger

Portugal

Lajes Field

Spain

Turkey

United Kingdom

And here’s a more detailed map of the actual location of military bases within countries:

Map created by Congressional Research ServiceAnd here’s the list of European bases from the report (as of 2024):

Base Name	Country/Territory	Persistent U.S. Military Presence?
Pituffik Space Base	Greenland (Denmark)	Yes
Naval Air Station Keflavik	Iceland	Yes
Joint Warfare Center	Norway	Yes
RAF Lakenheath	United Kingdom	Yes
RAF Mildenhall	United Kingdom	Yes
RAF Alconbury/Molesworth	United Kingdom	Yes
RAF Croughton	United Kingdom	Yes
RAF Menwith Hill	United Kingdom	Yes
U.S. Army Garrison Benelux	Belgium	Yes
Kleine Brogel Air Base	Belgium	Yes
U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart	Germany	Yes
U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach	Germany	Yes
U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria	Germany	Yes
U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden	Germany	Yes
Spangdahlem Air Base	Germany	Yes
Ramstein Air Base	Germany	Yes
Geilenkirchen Air Base	Germany	Yes
USAG Vicenza	Italy	Yes
Camp Darby	Italy	Yes
Naval Support Activity Naples	Italy	Yes
Naval Support Activity Naples Detachment Gaeta	Italy	Yes
Naval Air Station Sigonella	Italy	Yes
Ghedi Air Base	Italy	Yes
Aviano Air Base	Italy	Yes
Naval Station Rota	Spain	Yes
Morón Air Base	Spain	Yes
Lajes Field	Portugal	Yes
Naval Support Facility Redzikowo	Poland	No
Camp Kosciuszko	Poland	No
Żagań	Poland	No
Powidz Air Base	Poland	No
Lask Air Base	Poland	No
Camp Herkus	Lithuania	No
Šiauliai Air Base	Lithuania	No
Lielvārde Air Base	Latvia	No
Ämari Air Base	Estonia	No
Pápa Air Base	Hungary	No
Kecskemét Air Base	Hungary	No
Camp Turzii	Romania	No
Naval Support Facility Deveselu	Romania	No
Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base	Romania	No
Novo Selo Training Area	Bulgaria	No
Graf Ignatievo Air Base	Bulgaria	No
Camp Bondsteel	Kosovo	Yes
Larissa Air Base	Greece	No
Stefanovikeio Air Base	Greece	No
Naval Support Activity Souda Bay	Greece	Yes
Izmir Air Station	Turkey	Yes
Incirlik Air Base	Turkey	Yes
RAF Akrotiri	Cyprus	No

And here’s what the report says about the rational for US military bases in Europe:

For the purposes of this report, Europe corresponds with the United States European Command (EUCOM) AOR. CRS identified 31 persistent bases and 19 other military sites to which DOD has access in the region.

As of March 2024, approximately 67,200 active-duty servicemembers were permanently assigned to overseas bases in Europe, with the largest contingents assigned to locations in Germany (35,068), Italy (12,375) and the United Kingdom (10,058).

However, as of June 2024, thousands of additional servicemembers are present in Europe on rotational deployments or other temporary assignments.

In June 2024, the White House stated in a letter to congressional leaders that “approximately 80,000 United States Armed Forces personnel are assigned or deployed to North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] countries in Europe, including those deployed to reassure our allies and to deter further Russian aggression.”

U.S. forces assigned to overseas bases in Europe include Army ground units; Navy warships (including destroyers and an amphibious command ship, based in Spain and Italy); and Army, Navy, and Air Force aircraft (including rotary-wing, fighter, electronic attack, bomber, airlift, tanker, and other aircraft).

EUCOM is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, although its three military service components maintain headquarters elements at other locations.

The U.S. military presence in Europe has increased in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

In June 2022, for example, a DOD press release claimed that, since the invasion, DOD had “deployed or extended over 20,000 additional forces to Europe in response to the Ukraine crisis, adding additional air, land, maritime, cyber, and space capabilities.”

Prior to this surge, the Army maintained three brigade combat teams in Europe; since then, DOD has announced permanent forward stationing of a corps forward headquarters, a garrison command, a field support battalion, two squadrons of F-35s, an air defense artillery brigade headquarters, a shortrange air defense battalion, a combat sustainment support battalion headquarters, and an engineer
brigade headquarters.

U.S. basing in Europe is closely integrated with NATO activities and objectives. Many U.S. bases host NATO organizations and perform NATO-related functions, and every European host nation covered in this report (except Kosovo and Cyprus) is a NATO member.

According to the EUCOM Commander, Russia is the central security issue in the region, constituting a “formidable and unpredictable threat that will challenge U.S. and European interests for the foreseeable future.”

Europe is also the focus of a set of U.S. defense investments and activities known as the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI).