Plans for Rocket Stationing Alarm Bell for Arms Race in Germany
Germany and the USA announced on a Wednesday evening that the US army will station long-range weapons in Germany again starting from 2026, to better deter Russia. These weapons "will have significantly greater range than the currently deployed land-based systems in Europe," according to a joint statement.
SPD Bundestag member Stegner reacted in the Funke newspapers with concern about the announcement: "This all leads to another arms race," Stegner said. "The world will not be safer. On the contrary: We are entering a spiral in which the world becomes increasingly dangerous."
Green defense experts criticized Chancellor Scholz for not publicly justifying such a far-reaching decision as the "Rocket Stationing" publicly. The lack of clarity "can fuel fears and leave room for disinformation and incitement," said Green Bundestag member Sara Nanni to the "Rheinische Post." "The Chancellor should explain himself quickly."
Green defense expert Agnieszka Brugger told the Funke newspapers: "I still can't understand the Chancellor's speechlessness." She added: "Whoever makes such a weighty decision must also explain and justify it." In substance, Brugger supported the decision: "The threats and brutality of Vladimir Putin are best countered with strength, unity, and protection."
The stationing of US missiles is supposed to be only temporary, according to government statements - until Germany and European allies themselves produce and station such weapons. Germany and France have already agreed on the development of a joint long-range missile, and other European countries are expected to participate.
Minister Pistorius said on Deutschlandfunk, "It is clear that the expectation of the USA is that we invest in the development and acquisition of such long-range weapons ourselves." The US missiles are intended as a kind of bridge until we develop our own capabilities: "This temporary stationing starting next year will give us exactly the time we need."
FDP European politician and defense expert Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann welcomed the stationing decision: "This is strategically important for the alliance of immense significance," she told the "Rheinische Post." "Germany is the central pivot point of Europe, especially when it comes to deploying troops from the West towards the East" - therefore, the decision "makes a lot of sense."
Approval came also from the Union. "The long-range weapons will make a significant contribution to long-term and credible deterrence," explained its foreign policy expert Johann Wadephul (CDU).
Sharp criticism and drastic warnings came from opposition parties AfD, BSW, and Linke. "The stationing makes Germany a target," AfD leader Tino Chrupalla declared. Scholz is letting "Germany's relationship with Russia be permanently damaged and we risk falling back into the patterns of the East-West conflict."
BSW chairman Sahra Wagenknecht told the "Spiegel": "The stationing of additional attack missiles on German soil does not improve our security, but rather increases the risk that Germany itself becomes a battlefield, with devastating consequences for all living here."
The defense policy spokesman for the Left in the Bundestag, Dietmar Bartsch, told the "Rheinische Post": "I find this decision highly problematic, because the arms race spiral under the guise of deterrence is being turned further."
- SPD Bundestag member Ralf Stegner expressed worry over the announcement of US army stationing long-range weapons in Germany, stating it could lead to another arms race.
- Agnieszka Brugger, a Green defense expert, expressed concern about Chancellor Olaf Scholz's silence on the "Rocket Stationing" decision, stating it can fuel fears and disinformation.
- Boris Pistorius, the German Minister for Defense, explained that the expectation of the USA is for Germany to invest in developing and acquiring its own long-range weapons.
- Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, an FDP European politician and defense expert, welcomed the stationing decision, calling it strategically important for Europe.
- The decision to station US missiles is temporary, according to government statements, until Germany and European allies can produce and station their own long-range weapons.
- Germany and France have already agreed to develop a joint long-range missile, and other European countries are expected to participate in this endeavor.
- The Rheinish Post reported approval of the stationing decision from the Union, citing Johann Wadephul (CDU) who said the weapons will contribute to long-term deterrence.
- Opposition parties such as the AfD, BSW, and Linke have criticized the decision, with Tino Chrupalla arguing that it makes Germany a target and risks damaging its relationship with Russia.
- Dietmar Bartsch, the defense policy spokesman for the Left in the Bundestag, criticized the decision, stating it could contribute to an arms race spiral under the guise of deterrence.
