Germany was already the second-largest military donor to war-torn Ukraine after the United States, but the Scholz government made new commitments at the NATO anniversary summit in Washington, including hosting U.S. Tomahawk ultra-long-range missiles for “security” purposes.
At the summit, outgoing Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced planned measures to support Ukraine. Among them, German news portals reported that the alliance would create a separate NATO headquarters. In a front-page report in the prestigious conservative daily Die Welt, it was pointed out that support for Ukraine will in the future be coordinated from Germany.
The headquarters will be responsible for the defense of Ukraine and will be based in Wiesbaden in the German state of Hesse. “It will also provide Ukraine the reliable support it needs to deter and defend against future Russian aggression now and in the future,” the NATO statement explained.
Preparations are expected to start in the coming days. Wiesbaden has already been home to the European headquarters of the U.S. Armed Forces, where a unit of around 300 troops was deployed in 2022 to support Ukraine. Plans are now in place to expand the force to around 700, with Germany planning to deploy around 40 troops, including a two-star general as deputy commander, according to Die Welt.
It is understood the new NATO project is a “precautionary measure” in case former President Donald Trump becomes U.S. leader again in January 2025. The alliance fears that Trump’s “return” could have an impact on support for Ukraine and the coordination of related activities.
According to the German media, a separate U.S.-German agreement was also reached at the NATO summit on the deployment of Tomahawk cruise missiles and other long-range weapons in Germany from 2026. The range of these weapons is significantly greater than that of current European weapons systems.
The Tomahawk missiles have a reported range of over 2,000 kilometers (the exact figure remains classified), while the Taurus missiles, which the Ukrainians have been asking Germany for for some time, have a range of 500 kilometers.
Tomahawks are launched from ships or submarines, while Taurus are launched from aircraft.
In addition to the Tomahawks, SM-5 anti-aircraft missiles and newly developed supersonic weapons will be stationed in Germany.
