Germany to buy US Tomahawk missiles to boost long-range strike capability

BERLIN: Germany will purchase Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States and deploy them on its own territory as part of efforts to strengthen its long-range strike capability, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday.

The announcement marks a shift from an earlier plan under which the United States was expected to station long-range missiles in Germany, with Berlin now moving to establish its own capability.

Speaking in parliament, Merz said he finalised the agreement with the US government on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, describing the talks held earlier this week as exceeding his expectations.

“We are closing a critical strategic gap in our defence, while simultaneously working to develop our own European systems and station them in Europe,” he said.

According to German government sources, Washington signed a letter of intent on Tuesday committing to approve Germany’s purchase of Tomahawk cruise missiles and Typhon ground-based launchers in August.

The number of missiles and launchers Germany intends to acquire has not been disclosed, with officials citing security reasons.

The move aligns with US President Donald Trump’s call for European allies to shoulder greater responsibility for their own defence, including by purchasing American-made military equipment.

The future of the Tomahawk deployment had been uncertain after Trump announced in May that the United States would reduce its military presence in Germany.

That decision effectively ended an earlier plan by the previous US administration to deploy a battalion equipped with long-range Tomahawk missiles in Germany as an interim deterrent against Russia while European countries developed comparable weapons.

Germany currently operates the domestically produced Taurus cruise missile, which has a range of about 500 kilometres—significantly shorter than the Tomahawk missile’s range.