By Boyko Nikolov On Aug 10, 2024
The German press highlights that Germany’s population is largely opposed to the country’s increasing militarization, evidenced by the rising defense budget and plans to deploy American Tomahawk missiles starting in 2026—missiles capable of reaching major Russian cities like Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
Photo credit: US Navy
According to the Berliner Zeitung, the potential deployment of these missiles is particularly unpopular in East Germany, where surveys indicate that nearly three-quarters of respondents oppose having Tomahawk missiles on German soil.
In fact, only 23 percent of people in East Germany support this deployment. Comparatively, in the western part of the country, support for the potential deployment of American missiles stands at 45 percent, while 49 percent are against the idea.
Photo credit: Lockheed Martin
According to German experts, the deployment of US intermediate-range missiles might lead to severe repercussions, heightening the chance of Moscow resorting to nuclear escalation. They warn that Russia could initiate pre-emptive strikes on Germany if these stationed weapons were to threaten its nuclear capabilities.
Amid Russia’s conflict in Ukraine and its breaches of arms-control agreements, Washington and Berlin have decided to send American long-range missiles to Germany. Now, other European NATO allies are also looking to get similar weapons.
The statements made were predictable, but the comparison wasn’t quite accurate. Russian President Vladimir Putin quickly compared the 2024 agreement between Berlin and Washington—which plans to deploy US surface-to-surface missiles with ranges over 500 kilometers to Germany—to NATO’s 1979 decision to place nuclear-armed ballistic and cruise missiles on the continent.
According to German experts, the deployment of US intermediate-range missiles might lead to severe repercussions, heightening the chance of Moscow resorting to nuclear escalation. They warn that Russia could initiate pre-emptive strikes on Germany if these stationed weapons were to threaten its nuclear capabilities.
Amid Russia’s conflict in Ukraine and its breaches of arms-control agreements, Washington and Berlin have decided to send American long-range missiles to Germany. Now, other European NATO allies are also looking to get similar weapons.
The statements made were predictable, but the comparison wasn’t quite accurate. Russian President Vladimir Putin quickly compared the 2024 agreement between Berlin and Washington—which plans to deploy US surface-to-surface missiles with ranges over 500 kilometers to Germany—to NATO’s 1979 decision to place nuclear-armed ballistic and cruise missiles on the continent.
Photo credit: US Navy
On July 28, Putin warned that deploying US forces near Russian military sites would increase the risk of attack. He said it would reduce the time Moscow has to detect and respond. Putin stressed that Russia would take similar action if the US went ahead with the deployment.
This planned deployment follows Russia’s development of a long-range ground-launched cruise missile, breaking arms control agreements, and the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia’s aggressive stance has worried members of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party [SPD].
Some have criticized the deployment agreement, calling it destabilizing and insufficiently examined, saying it conflicts with the SPD’s promise of disarmament. However, other SPD policymakers, like Scholz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, disagree. They point to Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and stress the urgent need for Germany and NATO to fill capability gaps.
As long as Moscow ties arms-control talks to its war in Ukraine, it’s unlikely these discussions will succeed. Instead, strengthening NATO’s long-range conventional capabilities might deter more Russian aggression, promoting regional stability.
Moscow insists that the 9M729 missile, available in both conventional and nuclear types, does not break the INF Treaty. The 500 km-range Novator 9M728 [RS-SSC-7 Southpaw] missile has been used in Ukraine, likely giving Moscow a chance to test the 9M729 in actual combat situations at much greater distances.
It seems likely that Russia is developing or has already made ground-launched systems that exceed a 500 km range. This was hinted at by President Putin on July 28. The 9M729 could eventually be presented by Putin as a response to future US deployments.
On July 28, Putin warned that deploying US forces near Russian military sites would increase the risk of attack. He said it would reduce the time Moscow has to detect and respond. Putin stressed that Russia would take similar action if the US went ahead with the deployment.
This planned deployment follows Russia’s development of a long-range ground-launched cruise missile, breaking arms control agreements, and the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia’s aggressive stance has worried members of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party [SPD].
Some have criticized the deployment agreement, calling it destabilizing and insufficiently examined, saying it conflicts with the SPD’s promise of disarmament. However, other SPD policymakers, like Scholz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, disagree. They point to Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and stress the urgent need for Germany and NATO to fill capability gaps.
As long as Moscow ties arms-control talks to its war in Ukraine, it’s unlikely these discussions will succeed. Instead, strengthening NATO’s long-range conventional capabilities might deter more Russian aggression, promoting regional stability.
Moscow insists that the 9M729 missile, available in both conventional and nuclear types, does not break the INF Treaty. The 500 km-range Novator 9M728 [RS-SSC-7 Southpaw] missile has been used in Ukraine, likely giving Moscow a chance to test the 9M729 in actual combat situations at much greater distances.
It seems likely that Russia is developing or has already made ground-launched systems that exceed a 500 km range. This was hinted at by President Putin on July 28. The 9M729 could eventually be presented by Putin as a response to future US deployments.
Photo credit: Sputnik News
Russia might soon roll out more advanced missile systems. One likely candidate is a ground-launched version of the 3M22 Zircon, a missile that flies at over five times the speed of sound and can attack both ships and land targets. Some sources say Russia has used the Zircon against Ukraine and has been modifying it for ground launch since 2019. British intelligence suggests that during one attack, the absence of a suitable naval platform in the Black Sea means the ground-launched version may be operational, possibly using the K-300P Bastion-P coastal defense system.
Experts also think Russia has adapted missiles with ranges over 500 km. One example is the longer-range version of the 9K720 Iskander-M missile, which might now reach around 600 km. Additionally, there is speculation that Russia may have restarted work on the RS-26 Rubezh missile, which was supposedly paused around 2017.
The agreement between Berlin and Washington on missile deployment, along with the launch of the ELSA program, marks a change in NATO’s approach to long-range ground-launched systems. Moscow’s claim that this is a provocation is misleading. This reassessment is due to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and its worsening relationships with NATO.
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Russia might soon roll out more advanced missile systems. One likely candidate is a ground-launched version of the 3M22 Zircon, a missile that flies at over five times the speed of sound and can attack both ships and land targets. Some sources say Russia has used the Zircon against Ukraine and has been modifying it for ground launch since 2019. British intelligence suggests that during one attack, the absence of a suitable naval platform in the Black Sea means the ground-launched version may be operational, possibly using the K-300P Bastion-P coastal defense system.
Experts also think Russia has adapted missiles with ranges over 500 km. One example is the longer-range version of the 9K720 Iskander-M missile, which might now reach around 600 km. Additionally, there is speculation that Russia may have restarted work on the RS-26 Rubezh missile, which was supposedly paused around 2017.
The agreement between Berlin and Washington on missile deployment, along with the launch of the ELSA program, marks a change in NATO’s approach to long-range ground-launched systems. Moscow’s claim that this is a provocation is misleading. This reassessment is due to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and its worsening relationships with NATO.
***
Follow us everywhere and at any time. BulgarianMilitary.com has responsive design and you can open the page from any computer, mobile devices or web browsers. For more up-to-date news, follow our Google News, YouTube, Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook pages. Our standards: Manifesto & ethical principles.
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