The United States Began Deploying Long-range Missiles In Germany In 2026

US Tomahawk missiles. (Wikimedia Commons/Steven Fine)

JAKARTA - The United States will begin placing its long-range missiles in Germany in 2026, as part of its commitment to NATO and Europe's defense, the two countries said in a statement.

The "episodic placement" of the United States is preparation for the long-term deployment of these capabilities that will include SM-6, Tomahawk cruise missiles, and hypersonic weapons under development that have a longer range than the current capabilities in Europe, the two countries said on Wednesday.

Ground-based missiles with a range exceeding 500 kilometers are prohibited until 2019, based on the Medium-Range Nuclear Power Treaty (INF) signed by Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union and former US President Ronald Reagan in 1987.

The agreement marks the first time the two superpowers have agreed to reduce their nuclear arsenal and eliminate the entire category of weapons.

In line with signatories, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic destroyed their missiles in the 1990s, which Slovak and Bulgaria followed.

Later, the United States withdrew from the INF Agreement in 2019, saying Moscow violated the agreement, citing the development of the 9M729 land cruise missile by Russia known in NATO as the SSC-8.

The Kremlin has repeatedly denied the allegations and later imposed a moratorium on the development of its own missile previously banned by INF agreements, ground-based ballistic and cruise missiles with a range of 500 km to 5,500 km.

By the end of June, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would continue production of medium and short-range nuclear-capable missiles after the United States brought similar missiles to Europe and Asia.

President Putin said Russia had promised not to deploy the missile, but the United States had resumed production, brought it to Denmark for training and also brought it to the Philippines.