Germany Protests US Decision to Cancel Long-Range Missile Deployment

Plans for the long-range missile deployment originated under the previous Biden administration. In 2024 the United States and Germany agreed the systems would demonstrate Washington’s commitment to NATO and European integrated deterrence. The weapons were to begin with episodic deployments in 2026 before shifting to longer-term stationing.

The ground-launched SM-6 can function as a quasi-ballistic missile against land and sea targets while the Tomahawk holds targets at risk up to 1,000 miles away. These capabilities were viewed as necessary to counter Russian long-range strike systems.

Russia has deployed the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile against Ukraine, tested the 9M729 cruise missile that led to the U.S. withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019, and moved Iskander missiles and nuclear-capable systems closer to NATO’s eastern flank.

The INF Treaty, signed in 1987, had barred ground-launched missiles with ranges between 310 and 3,420 miles until both sides withdrew.

Even as uncertainty surrounds the U.S. deployment, European NATO members are moving to develop their own standoff capabilities. Interim measures could include range-extension kits for existing Storm Shadow, Taurus and MdCN cruise missiles. France announced in late April it would restart production of the MdCN naval cruise missile.

European nations are also eyeing off-the-shelf options from South Korea, Turkey or Ukraine. Longer-term efforts center on the European Long-Range Strike Approach involving France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The program aims to field a new missile or family of missiles with ranges between 621 and 1,243 miles by the 2030s.

Separately, Germany and the United Kingdom agreed last year to jointly develop a deep precision strike weapon with a range exceeding 1,243 miles, though industrial arrangements have not been finalized. Senator Roger Wicker and Representative Mike Rogers said the moves risked undermining deterrence and sending the wrong signal to Vladimir Putin.

The European Council on Foreign Relations assessed that the 2MDTF would likely remain assigned to the European theater and could still appear in another European country. Without the U.S. systems, however, NATO allies in Europe remain outnumbered and outranged by Russian long-range fires, a gap compounded by the slow pace of European defense programs and competing U.S. demands for munitions.

The current confusion leaves open questions about the precise mix of long-range fires available to deter Russia in the near term. The 2MDTF was intended as an interim solution while European programs matured. Its potential absence accelerates pressure on allies to close the capability gap independently at a time when Russian forces continue to test new systems in Ukraine.

The troop reduction and missile uncertainty mark the latest friction point in transatlantic relations. President Trump has long advocated for greater burden-sharing within NATO and has tied U.S. presence in Europe to allied support on other security priorities.

How the missile deployment ultimately resolves will shape both immediate conventional deterrence posture and longer-term European strategic autonomy.