Following the announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump that long-range Tomahawk missiles will no longer be stationed in Germany, the German government, alongside other NATO partners, is actively developing new strategies to maintain security across the European continent.
One proposed solution under review suggests a joint venture between German and American companies to potentially produce Tomahawk missiles in Germany starting as early as 2028. This model is already demonstrated by an existing joint venture between the German company MBDA (from Schrobenhausen, Bavaria) and the U.S. defense contractor RTX, which will produce urgently needed PAC-2-GEM-T missiles for the Patriot system for NATO forces.
Concurrently, Berlin is exploring the potential acquisition of Turkish weaponry to protect European NATO members, specifically the intercontinental missile Yildirimhan, which has a range of up to 6,000 kilometers, and the hypersonic long-range missile Tayfun-Block-4. Reports indicate that the Yildirimhan missile could be delivered as early as 2028, followed shortly after by the Tayfun-Block-4.
However, the planned financing for these Turkish missile purchases is unlikely to come from the EU’s defense program SAFE, due to expected resistance from Cyprus and Greece, both of which maintain strained relations with Turkey. Within NATO circles, two main options are being considered as realistic: either a bilateral deal between Germany and Turkey, or the formation of a smaller coalition of willing European states, led by Germany, to fund the acquisitions collectively. Should this occur, Germany would bear the highest costs. No final decisions have been made regarding either the potential joint venture or the purchase of Turkish systems, although confirmation could potentially happen during the NATO summit in Ankara this July.
In separate developments, a significant portion of the US soldiers currently in the largest American air hub outside the United States-Ramstein in Rhineland-Palatinate-will be withdrawn from Germany. These US forces are expected to be redeployed to Mihail Kogalniceanu (MK) airbase near Constanta, in eastern Romania. This Romanian base, which is currently hosting the U.S. Army Garrison Black Sea alongside Romanian troops, is planned for expansion into what will become the largest NATO airbase, housing at least 10,000 US soldiers and their families, making it larger than Ramstein. Sources confirm that redeploying troops from Germany to Romania is viewed by informed military sources as a logical move given the threat emanating from Russia. The remaining US personnel withdrawn from Germany are intended to be deployed outside of Europe. It remains unclear whether the approximately 5,000 soldiers will first be returned to the United States in full strength or if they will be directly redeployed within and outside Europe.