Politics USA stations far-reaching weapons systems in Germany

The USA is strengthening its military deterrent to protect its NATO partners in Europe. To this end, Tomahawk cruise missiles and other long-range weapons are to be temporarily stationed in Germany from 2026 onwards, according to a joint statement by the USA and Germany published on the fringes of the NATO summit in Washington.

It also mentioned SM-6 anti-aircraft missiles and newly developed supersonic weapons, "which have a significantly longer range than current land-based systems in Europe".

Like the German Taurus weapon system, the cruise missiles are capable of penetrating deep into enemy territory and destroying important targets. These can include command posts, bunkers and radar installations. The Tomahawk is deployed from ships or submarines, while the Taurus is launched from aircraft.

Since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, US President Joe Biden has increased the troop presence in Germany and Europe in order to better protect NATO territory. Biden repeatedly assures us that the United States is firmly committed to its alliance obligations in the military alliance and will defend every inch of NATO territory. However, this could change with a change of power in the White House.

Republican former President Donald Trump wants to run again as his party's candidate in the election in November and move back into the White House. During his time in office (2017 to 2021), Trump threatened to pull the USA out of NATO and repeatedly railed against what he considered to be insufficient defense spending by European allies. In the current election campaign, he repeated these accusations and threatened to no longer guarantee American protection to NATO countries that did not meet their financial obligations.