Germans dread America will pull their lifeline – soldiers

Ramstein - Around the US air base of Ramstein in southwest Germany, many people have watched with alarm as US President Donald Trump’s team has cast doubt on America’s future military presence in Europe.

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For decades, locals have endured the roar of fighter jets but also forged close economic and cultural bonds with many of the 50 000 American military personnel and their relatives living there now.

“They are the economy here,” said Andreas Hausmann, owner of the Hotel America, where he estimates that two-thirds of guests are from the United States.

“Every craftsman, every plumber, every painting company, every small business, even bakeries, taxi companies - every-one is indirectly dependent on the airbase,” he said.

“If they pull the plug here, we will be socially destroyed.”