Germany will buy U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles and deploy them on its own territory, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has announced, marking a significant step towards establishing
Germany's independent long-range strike capability.
Speaking in parliament on Thursday, Mr Merz said the agreement had been reached with the United States during talks on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara. He described the discussions held on Tuesday and Wednesday as having "exceeded expectations".
"We are closing a critical strategic gap in our defence, while at the same time developing our own European systems and deploying them in Europe," the chancellor told lawmakers.
German government officials said Washington had agreed to approve the sale in August under a letter of intent signed earlier this week. The agreement includes both Tomahawk cruise missiles and Typhon ground-based launchers.
The German government has not disclosed how many missiles or launchers will be purchased, citing security reasons.
The move reflects a broader shift in European defence policy, with Germany seeking to strengthen its own military capabilities rather than relying on the planned deployment of U.S. weapons on its territory.
It also aligns with President Donald Trump's long-standing call for European NATO allies to take greater responsibility for their own security, including by investing in American-made defence equipment.
The future of U.S. Tomahawk deployments to Germany had become uncertain after President Trump announced in May that he would reduce the U.S. military presence in the country. The decision was widely seen as ending plans approved under the previous U.S. administration to station an American battalion equipped with long-range Tomahawk missiles in Germany.
That deployment had been intended as a temporary measure to strengthen NATO's deterrence against Russia while European allies developed comparable long-range weapons.
Germany already manufactures the Taurus cruise missile, but its range of about 500km (311 miles) is significantly shorter than that of the Tomahawk, which can strike targets several times farther away. Photo: Royal Navy image / MOD. Wikimedia commons.
