For the first time since the 1990s, the United States wants to install long-range weapons in Germany. The agreement was reached at the most recent NATO summit in Washington. "We know that there has been an incredible arms buildup in Russia, with weapons that threaten European territory," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in Washington,
DW reports.
After the end of the Cold War, the US significantly reduced its arsenal of long-range weapons in Europe, as did the Soviet Union and its eventual successor state, Russia. At the time, there was a sense of peace, and security appeared assured.
But, since Russia's attack on Ukraine in 2022, old hostilities have returned. In military terms, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told Deutschlandfunk radio that he sees "a serious gap in capabilities."
Among the arms planned for deployment by 2026 are Tomahawk cruise missiles, which have proved their effectiveness over the past 30 years — most recently against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Unlike missiles, which take an elliptical trajectory, cruise missiles fly parallel to the ground at a very low altitude. This makes them difficult for enemy radar to detect and intercept. Also planned for Germany, but still under development, are US missiles capable of several times the speed of sound and with ranges of more than 2,750 kilometers (1,709 miles).
Germany's own powerful Taurus cruise missiles can only travel about 500 kilometers (311 miles) and are launched by aircraft. Tomahawks, on the other hand, can be launched from the ground or from ships and have a range of up to 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles). For comparison: the distance from Berlin to Moscow is around 1600 kilometers (944 miles).
