Berlin, Germany. Germany will purchase Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States and station them on German soil, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday, marking a shift from planned U.S. deployments to Germany’s own long-range strike capability.
Merz told lawmakers he had sealed the deal with the U.S. government on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Ankara and said the meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday had exceeded his expectations.
Agreement with Washington
Merz said the move would help Germany address a strategic weakness while also supporting the development of European systems.
“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 committed to granting approval in August for Germany to procure Tomahawk missiles and corresponding ground-based Typhon launchers in a letter of intent signed on Tuesday.
Classified procurement details
The number of missiles and launchers Germany plans to acquire has not been disclosed because the information is classified.
Shift in security arrangements
The planned purchase appears to align with U.S. President Donald Trump’s push for European allies to pay for their own security, including through the purchase of U.S. weapons.
The fate of the Tomahawk supply had been unclear after Trump announced in May that he would reduce U.S. military presence in Germany.
That announcement was seen as a cancellation of a plan under the previous administration to deploy a U.S. battalion equipped with long-range Tomahawk missiles to Germany.
European capability development
The earlier plan had been intended as an interim solution to deter Russia while European countries developed their own version of such weapons.
Germany produces its own cruise missiles, the Taurus, but their range of about 500 km is three to five times shorter than that of the Tomahawks.
