Providing a launch pad for forward deployment of Armed forces is a pretty good deal IMO. Doing this helped the US keep USSR in check. Now assume that NATO never

Providing a launch pad for forward deployment of Armed forces is a pretty good deal IMO. Doing this helped the US keep USSR in check. Now assume that NATO never happened. Life would go on. These countries would be in a lot of debt, but they'd have their own armies for sure with the US twiddling their thumbs from across the ocean. Maybe Russia would've occupied a couple more countries. Although it seems these countries should pay up for protection money, consider the difference a rent that US is paying them for maintaining a military base. A quick google search gave me "...he United States still maintains nearly 800 military bases in more than 70 countries and territories abroad.."