- Military expert: US weapons deployment urgently needed
The deployment of long-range U.S. weapons in Germany, announced in response to Russian threats, is "urgently necessary," according to retired Brigadier General Heinrich Fischer. "It sends a clear signal of U.S. leadership within the alliance and enhances the credibility of deterrence by increasing conventional capabilities," Fischer writes in the Fachmagazin "Europäische Sicherheit & Technik" (August issue).
Furthermore, he states that the reactions from the Kremlin indicate the increased deterrent value that can be achieved through the planned deployment of these weapons. Fischer was previously the commander of the Army Schools and deputy chief of the Army Office.
On the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, the U.S. and Germany announced the deployment of Tomahawk cruise missiles, SM-6 missiles, and new hypersonic weapons from 2026 onwards. According to Fischer, a Typhoon battery - consisting of a command post, supply vehicles, and missile launchers - can fire both SM-6 missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles from containers.
Capabilities of the weapons
The Tomahawk has a range of over 1000 kilometers, carries a 450-kilogram conventional warhead, and has an accuracy of about 10 meters. The SM-6 missile is "multi-mission capable": it can defend against ballistic missiles in their terminal phase, target ships, and in a modified version, also target ground targets.
The new U.S. hypersonic weapon ("Long Range Hypersonic Weapon") is in the final phase of its development. It flies at five times the speed of sound and has a range of over 2500 kilometers.
Weapons for destroying Russian military capabilities
Fischer points out in his analysis that weapon systems in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad pose a real threat to NATO's defense planning in Central Europe and the Baltic region. In a conflict, the timely and adequate deployment of NATO land forces from the center to the eastern flank would not be possible, and the collapse of defense by the already present NATO troops would be accelerated. "The territory of the Federal Republic of Germany would be exposed to an intensified threat in this process in its role as a strategically logistic hub," he concludes.
Fischer believes that these weapons are necessary to destroy Russian military capabilities that can deny NATO troops access to an operational area ("Anti Access") or freedom of operation in the area of operations ("Area Denial"). According to the general, this fight is conducted in five phases. In the first phase of competition, enemy forces are continuously monitored before an armed conflict and gradually destroyed in a conflict to create room for maneuver for one's own troops.
Fischer sees the deployment as a significant enhancement of NATO's conventional capabilities, which strengthens the credibility of the deterrence strategy "while simultaneously raising the nuclear threshold." He notes that the Tomahawks stationed in Germany during the Cold War carried a nuclear warhead.
The announcement of long-range U.S. weapons deployment in Germany, including Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 missiles, is a joint initiative between the United States and Germany, as mentioned during the NATO summit in Washington. These weapons, specifically the Tomahawk's over 1000-kilometer range and multi-mission capability of the SM-6, are crucial in addressing the threats posed by weapon systems in Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, which could hinder NATO's defense planning in Central Europe and the Baltic region.
