US Set to Deploy Long-Range Weapon Systems in Germany From 2026

The United States plans to deploy long-range fire capabilities in Germany starting in 2026, underscoring its commitment to NATO and European defence, according to a joint statement from the United States and Germany released on Wednesday.

The deployments are to be a precursor to the longer-term stationing of advanced weaponry, including SM-6 and Tomahawk cruise missiles, as well as developmental hypersonic weapons with greater range than current systems in Europe. The Tomahawk and Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) are produced by Raytheon, a division of RTX.

Historically, ground-based missiles with ranges exceeding 500 kilometers were prohibited under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, signed by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1987.

This treaty was the first significant agreement between the superpowers to reduce nuclear arsenals, eliminating an entire category of weapons. Following the treaty, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic dismantled their missiles in the 1990s, with Slovakia and Bulgaria doing so later.

In 2019, the United States withdrew from the INF Treaty, citing violations by Russia. The U.S. pointed to Russia’s development of the 9M729 ground-launched cruise missile, known in NATO circles as the SSC-8, as evidence of non-compliance.

Russia has consistently denied these accusations and subsequently announced a moratorium on the development of missiles previously banned by the INF Treaty, specifically ground-based ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 km and 5,500 km.

In late June, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that Russia might resume the production of intermediate and shorter-range nuclear-capable missiles in response to similar actions by the United States in Europe and Asia.

He noted that while Russia had committed not to deploy such missiles, the U.S. had already resumed production, brought these missiles to Denmark for exercises, and deployed them to the Philippines.

Main Image: By TSGT ROB MARSHALL Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6659664

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