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The US (and UK) have no right to operate listening posts in Germany either. Just because they have some secret contracts or whatever doesn't make it a right.

Contracts can be canceled. The current affair would be a very good reason to do so, and close all the military bases in one big swoop.



I think, the locals like the military bases well enough in most cases, because the military injects money into the local economy.

(I am not sure, whether Germany has to pay for the US bases, though.)


I'm pretty sure the US rents the land. You're definitely right about money injection. There are ~48k US Personnel in Germany.

Source: http://washington.cbslocal.com/2013/04/17/report-us-paying-b...


Yes, and as the article says, the locals are also paying. The parlance seems to be "costs and burden-sharing".

On the other hand a fraction of ten billion USD is not that much for the Germans to sacrifice for slightly more privacy. (A fraction, since ten billion USD is the total cost the US pays, and Germany is but one country they have bases in.)

The bases do provide security, though.




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