NATO Needs More Long-range Missiles To Prevent Russian Attacks

JAKARTA - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) needs more long-range missiles in its arsenal to repel Russia from attacking Europe, as Moscow is expected to increase long-range weapons production, the United States Army general told Reuters.

The use of an effective Russian long-range missile in its war in Ukraine has assured Western military officials of the importance of the missile to destroy command posts, transportation centers, and missile launchers far behind enemy lines.

"The Russian army is currently bigger than when they started the war in Ukraine," Major General John Rafferty said in an interview at a US military base in Wiesbaden, Germany.

"And we know they will continue to invest in long-range rockets and missiles as well as advanced air defenses. So, improving the alliance's capabilities is very important," he said.

The war in Ukraine has underscored Europe's great dependence on the United States to provide long-range missiles, with Kyiv working to strengthen its air defenses.

Major General Rafferty recently completed his duties as Commander of the 56th US Army Artillery Command in the City of Mainz-Kastel, Germany, which is preparing to temporarily deploy US long-range missiles in European territory starting in 2026.

Separately, in a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Monday, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is expected to try to clarify whether such placements, agreed between Berlin and Washington when Joe Biden takes office, will continue after Donald Trump returns to office.

The agreement includes system deployments, including the Tomahawk missile with a range of 1,800 km and the Dark Eagle hypersonic weapon which is being developed with a range of about 3,000 km.

Russia criticized the US long-range missile deployment plan in Germany as a serious threat to its national security. Moscow dismissed NATO concerns that it could attack alliance members, instead citing concerns about NATO's expansion as one of the reasons they invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Meanwhile, doctoral researchers at Oslo University who specialize in Fabian Hoffmann missiles estimate the US provides about 90 percent of NATO's long-range missile capabilities.

"The ability to attack long distances is very important in modern warfare," he said.

"You really don't want to get stuck in a position like Ukraine (without such a weapon) in the first year (of war). That puts you in a very unfavorable position."

Realizing this vulnerability, European countries in NATO have agreed to increase the defense budget under President Trump's 'pressure'.

Some European countries have their own long-range missiles but their numbers and range are limited. US missiles can strike targets at a distance of several thousand km.

Meanwhile, European cruise missiles launched from the air, such as British Storm Shadow, France's Scalp, and German Taurus, have a range of several hundred km. France's Missile de Croisiere Naval (MdCN) sea launch missile can cover a distance of more than 1,000 km.

France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Britain and Sweden are now participating in a program to acquire long-range conventional missiles launched from land known as the European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA).

As part of the program, Britain and Germany announced in mid-May plans to start missile development with a range of more than 2,000 km.