Europe consistently encourages, and in some cases explicitly requests, U.S. intervention or sustained military presence in regions where European nations have significant geopolitical stakes (Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa), though the nature of this encouragement varies dramatically by region and threat.

The European approach is a pragmatic calculation: it seeks to leverage superior U.S. military power and global logistical reach to secure vital European interests—namely energy, migration control, counter-terrorism, and regional stability—while attempting to retain a degree of strategic and diplomatic autonomy.

1. Eastern Europe: Explicit Request for U.S. Deterrence

In Eastern Europe, particularly since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European encouragement of U.S. involvement is the most explicit and unified—it is the indispensable core of the continental security strategy.

The Deterrence Anchor

European elites rely on the U.S. presence to provide the ultimate guarantor against Russian aggression. The encouragement comes in three forms:

• NATO Reinforcement: European allies actively push for the permanent stationing of U.S. forces, the forward deployment of heavy U.S. equipment, and the rotational presence of U.S. combat brigades in countries on the Eastern Flank (e.g., Poland, the Baltic states, and Romania). This military presence is the credibility of the Article 5 commitment.

• High-End Capabilities: The U.S. provides nuclear deterrence and essential high-end enabling capabilities (long-range strike, intelligence, reconnaissance, air defense) that most European nations either lack or are only now beginning to develop. European elites encourage U.S. investment in these areas because they represent the essential ingredients for an effective NATO deterrence posture.

• Political Unity and Leadership: During crises, European leaders actively seek and encourage a strong, unified U.S. diplomatic posture to maintain the transatlantic consensus on sanctions and military support for Ukraine. The U.S. sets the pace for aid packages and technology transfers, which Europe is keen to follow and encourage to stabilize the conflict and prevent its spillover into NATO territory.

In this region, the encouragement for U.S. intervention is a fundamental pillar of European security policy.

2. The Middle East: Encouraging Stabilization, Diverging on Tactics

The encouragement for U.S. intervention in the Middle East is more nuanced and conditional, often seeking U.S. involvement to address the consequences of instability rather than the causes through large-scale wars. European geopolitical stakes here are massive: energy security (Persian Gulf, North Africa), migration flows, and counter-terrorism.

The "Containment" Preference

Europe’s encouragement is generally not for unilateral U.S. military invasions (like the 2003 Iraq War, which many major European states opposed), but for a sustained U.S. role in stabilization and containment.

• Counter-Terrorism Operations: European nations consistently encourage U.S. military intelligence and special operations support for counter-terrorism in fragile states, as groups like ISIS or Al-Qaeda pose an immediate, direct security threat to European cities via foreign fighter networks.

• Deterring Regional Powers (e.g., Iran): Major European powers (e.g., the E3: France, Germany, UK) have often sought U.S. diplomatic engagement to prevent large-scale conflict, notably by trying to keep the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) alive. However, when U.S.-Iran tensions rise, they are quick to encourage a U.S. military presence in the Gulf to maintain freedom of navigation for oil supplies, which are vital to European economies. The U.S. is expected to bear the high cost and risk of this direct military deterrence.

• Israel-Palestine Conflict: Europe views this conflict as a key source of regional instability that fuels extremism and affects domestic European politics. European diplomatic efforts often clash with U.S. policy, but in times of major conflagration, they rely on U.S. military and diplomatic weight to enforce ceasefires and prevent a broader regional war, which would threaten the Suez Canal, energy routes, and trigger new migration waves.

In essence, Europe encourages the U.S. to use its power as an off-shore balancer and stabilizer to mitigate instability and prevent security threats from reaching European shores.

3. Africa: Encouraging Logistical and Enabling Support

In Africa, European states—particularly former colonial powers like France—have historically taken the lead in military intervention, especially in the Sahel. However, their security efforts are heavily reliant on and explicitly encourage U.S. logistical and intelligence support. European geopolitical stakes are focused on migration control, resource access, and counter-insurgency.

The U.S. as a Logistical Enabler

European states are militarily engaged but do not possess the global aerial transport, refueling, and high-fidelity intelligence infrastructure that the U.S. commands.

• Logistical Backbone: France's operations against Islamist groups in the Sahel (e.g., in Mali and the wider region) were heavily reliant on U.S. air transport, aerial refueling, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets. European elites request this support to minimize the cost and maximize the effectiveness of their own deployed forces.

• Forward Operating Bases: The U.S. military infrastructure (e.g., AFRICOM, drone bases) across Africa is encouraged by European partners because it provides a critical, flexible platform for their own limited regional deployments.

• Burden-Shifting in Favor of Europe: Unlike the NATO commitment in Eastern Europe where Europe is asked to take on more of the conventional burden, in Africa, Europe tends to lead small-scale missions but encourages the U.S. to take on the expensive, enabling logistical burden. This arrangement allows European nations to project power and secure their interests without the colossal budget and manpower strain of a full-scale expeditionary military.

The Strategic Calculus

Europe's encouragement of U.S. military intervention or sustained presence is a core, unstated tenet of its post-Cold War foreign policy. It is a strategic calculation based on a shared threat perception with the U.S. (instability, terrorism, and Russia) but a divergent capacity to address them.

In every case, the European goal is to harness the U.S. military machine to secure its immediate strategic backyard—a relationship where the European nations define the essential local security interest, and the U.S. is asked to provide the high-end capability and geopolitical shield. The stability secured by this encouraged U.S. presence is considered a crucial, low-cost public good for European security.