Germany is getting Tomahawk missiles. Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed the deal on July 9, 2026, during the NATO summit in Ankara, closing a chapter of defense procurement talks that had dragged on for over a year.
Tomahawk cruise missiles are precision long-range weapons with a range of over 1,000 miles, capable of hitting targets deep inside adversary territory.
How the deal came together
The groundwork for this agreement was laid in July 2025, when Berlin began preliminary discussions with Washington about acquiring the systems. Those talks stalled, partly because the Pentagon had reservations about whether deploying such weapons in Germany could provoke escalation with Russia, and partly due to questions about US supply capacity given its own military commitments.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius picked up the thread again in May 2026, pushing hard to get the purchase back on track. The announcement in Ankara signals that Washington’s earlier hesitance has been resolved, at least officially.
