Germany to acquire Tomahawk missiles from US, Chancellor Merz says

Germany will acquire long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States, a move Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated will close a significant strategic gap in the nation's defense. The agreement was reached on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara.

Merz announced in a government statement to the Bundestag that the US has approved the sale and planned deployment of these missiles in Germany. "We are thus closing an important strategic gap in our defense," he declared.

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that American Tomahawk missiles will be acquired by us and stationed in Germany.

The decision is unexpected, as Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had previously expressed doubts about the acquisition. He noted that the US had long left a German request unanswered and questioned their capacity to sell, especially after extensive use of Tomahawks during the Iran conflict. Merz himself had also voiced skepticism about the US's ability to provide the missiles.

This development follows a previous commitment by the Biden administration in 2024 to station Tomahawks in Germany, intended as a response to Russia's deployment of Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad. Germany had sought to purchase up to 400 missiles and launchers for operation by the Bundeswehr independently. However, former US President Donald Trump had canceled the stationing plan, raising concerns about Germany's and NATO's deterrence capabilities, as the Tomahawk's 2,500-kilometer range currently has no European equivalent. In response to the US withdrawal from stationing, the German government had announced plans to pursue European missile programs.

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We are thus closing an important strategic gap in our defense.