Because of NATO we have bases all over Europe. It is a direct line, it isn't a mystery.
I believe I mentioned that.
The only benefit I can see is the siting of forward air bases and port facilities, and some of the member nations have been less than enthusiastic (to put it mildly) about that.
Do you suppose we won't have those bases anymore if we leave NATO? We might lose some forward land-based capability. But who are the
If the US formally withdraws from NATO (possible with one year's notice under standard treaty rules, though Congress has tried to add hurdles), the NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) would no longer apply to the US.
Host nations could legally terminate or refuse to extend the underlying basing rights. The US couldn't simply "keep" the bases without the host country's consent.
Host nations could choose to keep some limited US access via new bilateral deals (the US has SOFAs with non-NATO countries).
Withdrawal from NATO doesn't instantly shutter every base.
The US maintains a large network of military bases and facilities in numerous non-NATO countries—often under separate bilateral defense treaties, Status of Forces Agreements (SOFAs), or access pacts that are not tied to NATO membership. These arrangements would remain unaffected if the US withdrew from NATO.
The US has roughly 128 known overseas bases across ~49–55 countries/territories total, with the largest non-NATO concentrations in East Asia, the Middle East, and select spots in Africa/Latin America.
These non-NATO arrangements are country-specific bilateral deals (e.g., mutual defense treaties with Japan/South Korea, access pacts in the Gulf). They do not rely on the NATO SOFA or North Atlantic Treaty, so a US NATO withdrawal would have no automatic legal or practical impact on them. Many are explicitly for regional deterrence (e.g., China, North Korea, Iran) rather than collective European defense.
Remind me; what defensive purpose do the ~80,000 US troops and 40+ American NATO-aligned facilities across Europe serve, and for whose disproportionate benefit are they being maintained?