Defense: Germany wants to buy long-range US missile launchers

Germany plans to purchase long-range Typhon missile launchers from the United States, capable of hitting targets 2,000 kilometers away – including Russia. "This will enable Germany to significantly increase its own defense capabilities, its deterrent capabilities, and Europe's as well," said Defense Minister Boris Pistorius after a meeting with his counterpart Pete Hegseth in Washington. Although a decision on the procurement of the weapons has not yet been made, Pistorius has officially expressed his interest.

However, he and Hegseth did not reach a final agreement on the delivery of additional Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine , which Germany is to finance with approximately two billion euros. Final technical, logistical, and financial details still need to be clarified, but "they appear solvable for both of us," the SPD politician said.

It was his first visit to Washington since US President Donald Trump and his Defense Minister Hegseth took office in January. After his meeting at the Pentagon, Pistorius announced as "the latest news of the day" that Germany had initiated the process to acquire the Typhon medium-range missile, which can fire long-range missiles like the Tomahawk.

The Bundeswehr does not yet have such weapons with a range of 2,000 kilometers. Corresponding European systems are still under development and, according to Pistorius, will not be available for at least seven to ten years. The Typhon rocket launchers are to be purchased for the transition period.

Since this could take several years, Pistorius hopes that the US will station its own medium-range weapons in Germany starting in 2026, as promised last year by then-US President Joe Biden. "I am very confident that the announcement from the Washington anniversary summit last year will remain in place," Pistorius said. However, there has been no confirmation of this from the Trump administration so far.

The US is now considering whether it is willing to supply the Typhon missile launchers. Hegseth welcomed the request, Pistorius said.

Another major topic was the US troop presence in Germany. Pistorius is now preparing for a reduction of the 38,000 troops. He said he and Hegseth have agreed to work closely together on "how we can implement such a decision step by step, when it comes up." This is intended to prevent "dangerous capability gaps."

Already during his first term, Trump had planned a drastic reduction of US troops in Germany to 25,000. However, during Merz's visit to the White House in early June, there was no longer any talk of this. If Germany wanted the American soldiers, he was willing, Trump assured. "That's not a problem."

During Pistorius's visit to Washington , things sounded different. The US is currently reviewing troop deployments abroad. A shift from Europe to the Indo-Pacific region is expected. The results are expected in September.