[Taikonerd]

I would also say (d) make it clear to the Soviet Union that, if they invaded West Germany, it would not just be an intra-European war; it would be a world war.

[pjc50]

Sure, but that rationale went away in the early 1990s and they stayed for thirty years longer than that.

[Taikonerd]

True. Institutions like that have a lot of momentum, and they sometimes outlive their original rationale.

But on the other hand, Russian aggression is back in the headlines these days...

[expedition32]

Aircraft carriers cannot replace military bases. That is why they stayed.

The US can support all of its military operations in Africa and the Middle East from its vast cold war era infrastructure in Europe.