The United States intends to forgo the deployment of cruise missiles in Germany, prompting the federal government to rapidly develop its own systems. This must now be implemented "with determination," said government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius on Monday in Berlin. The goal is to "ensure no gap emerges here." Both the Union and SPD, as well as the Greens, called for increased German and European efforts.
Kornelius pointed out that the stationing of Iskander missiles in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad represents a "threat to Europe." Work is therefore already underway on a "comprehensive deterrence package" at the national and European levels, as well as with NATO allies.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) confirmed reports on Sunday in the ARD that the deployment of Tomahawk cruise missiles promised by then-US President Joe Biden would not initially take place. "The Americans currently do not have enough themselves," Merz said. "Objectively, there is hardly any possibility from the US to deliver weapon systems of this type." At the same time, he emphasized, "The train has not left the station."
The Defense Ministry pointed to ongoing efforts on Monday to expand German and European deterrence capabilities. On one hand, the German Taurus cruise missile is being modernized; on the other, the successor variant Taurus Neo is under development.
The Taurus missiles, like the American Tomahawks, are projectiles designed to engage selected enemy targets with pinpoint accuracy from long distances. These can include command posts, airfields, logistical hubs, or weapons factories. Such targets typically lie deep in enemy rear areas, beyond the range of traditional rocket artillery.
The Defense Ministry also referenced the so-called ELSA project (European Long-Range Strike Approach), through which Europeans are jointly developing a range of standoff precision weapons with long range, including drones. The background to European efforts is the fact that at Russia's current pace of armament, it could be capable of militarily attacking NATO from 2029 onwards.
Politicians from the black-red coalition reacted with concern to the non-deployment of US weapons. CDU defense expert Roderich Kiesewetter called the move a "huge mistake" and "much more serious" than the also-planned withdrawal of US troops from Germany.
"We are weakening ourselves with this, and that is the really difficult signal," Kiesewetter said in the ARD. The federal government is thereby abandoning conventional rearmament "to counter the Russian threat from Kaliningrad, a nuclear missile threat."
CSU defense politician Thomas Erndl urged rapid development of indigenous defense capabilities. "If this actually does not come now, then we must be faster with our own ambitions here and ensure that the Bundeswehr acquires this capability more quickly," he said on Bavarian Radio. Everything must now be geared toward the year 2029. An action plan is necessary "that makes us noticeably more capable of deterrence and defense."
"Should President Trump implement his announcements to withdraw troops and not deploy agreed medium-range missiles, this would be extremely concerning," SPD parliamentary deputy leader Siemtje Möller told news agency AFP. She called for swift consultations in E3 format - Germany, France, and Great Britain, on how to close the emerging defense policy gap.
Green Party leader Franziska Brantner accused Chancellor Merz of inaction. He failed to prepare Germany in time for the US withdrawal, she said. "The security gaps are growing from day to day." A European defense union is necessary; Merz must drive this forward.
"If American medium-range missiles are not stationed in Europe, the Europeans as a whole have a problem," military historian Sönke Neitzel also emphasized in the ARD. "Because they cannot replace these weapons."
The planned deployment waiver is welcomed, however, by the Left Party. The "daily changing opinion" of US President Trump, combined with troops stationed in Germany and Europe, "poses a danger," faction leader Sören Pellmann told AFP. In this respect, it is "to be welcomed if US medium-range missiles now do not return to Germany after all."
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