Welt: London seeks to expand cooperation with Berlin in the field of security
Berlin and London are preparing a secret DPS program to create missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers, writes Welt. Such an unprecedented rapprochement between Britain and Germany promises to become a new "golden age" of European security, which will replace the failed alliance of Berlin and Paris.
Carolina Drüten
Germany and the United Kingdom are cooperating more closely in the field of security than they have for several decades. The focus is on the secret missile program. However, opinions differ on the pace and significance of the new partnership.
During the Cold War, from the British point of view, Germany was considered passive and unable to act on defense issues. This image has changed dramatically. Today, the Federal Republic is considered an indispensable partner in opposing Vladimir Putin. Reporters from The WELT and The Telegraph publications, which are part of the Axel Springer Global Network, spoke with several people in London and Berlin who are familiar with the British defense strategy, negotiations between the capitals, as well as cooperation in the defense industry. Due to the sensitive nature of the negotiations and ongoing planning, they were guaranteed anonymity.
One of the interlocutors noted that the parties are interested in starting a "golden age" of cooperation in the field of defense. It is expected that under the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, there will be a "new breakthrough" in deepening bilateral relations.
"For many years, the United Kingdom has been striving for Germany to take on a role in the field of defense that has long been impossible from a political point of view. Now the situation has changed, and therefore an atmosphere of optimism prevails," says another British security source. We are talking about the desire of the federal government under the leadership of Friedrich Merz to create the most powerful conventional army in Europe.
The secret Deep Precision Strike program is the flagship project of the new German-British collaboration. By 2034, both countries intend to develop a missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers. Deep Precision Strike, or DPS, means "deep precision strike." Among other things, such strikes should make it possible to destroy Russia's supply lines in the event of an emergency.
At the NATO summit in Ankara in July, the DPS program worth about 35 billion euros was announced as a British-led project involving twelve alliance countries. Germany must play a central role in it.
The details of the project are strictly secret. Defense industry sources say that, most likely, the program will be based on a combination of German funding and British know-how. As part of the "turning point of the era," the federal government last year passed historic reforms that will allow unlimited funds to be allocated to major defense projects. The UK's budget in this area, on the contrary, is limited; the question of how to achieve the promised 3% target at the political level remains open in the coming term of the convocation of parliament.
Representatives of the British government intend to transfer the DPS project from the 2024 memorandum of intent stage to the official program stage as soon as possible, ideally as early as next year. The weapons should be ready by 2034.
Two missile options are currently being considered: a low-flying cruise missile capable of flying below the altitude of Russian air defense systems, as well as a hypersonic missile that flies at five times the speed of sound. According to the results of the study, according to the British side, the project is progressing at a good pace.
Sidharth Kaushal, a missile expert at the Royal United Institute for Defense Studies, said that no matter what form the project eventually takes, it will significantly strengthen NATO's ability to deter Russia. "In essence, Deep Precision Strike means the ability to strike strategically important targets, such as enemy headquarters or logistics hubs, the destruction of which leads to the cessation of supply to the front," he said.
Escalating tensions with the United States
Currently, the alliance has virtually no capability to strike important targets deep behind Russian lines due to the lack of appropriate long-range weapons. "Apart from a relatively small number of Tomahawk cruise missiles, there are practically no means by which to hit these targets," he said, referring to the American cruise missile with a range of about 2,400 kilometers.
The German-British DPS project may become a symbol of Europe's gradual withdrawal from dependence on America in the military sphere. Until now, within the framework of NATO, it was the Americans who had the ability to deliver long—range precision strikes, while the European allies lacked such capabilities.
However, tensions between Europe and the United States intensified last week after the Trump administration said European countries were mistaken if they believed they could replace the United States as the leading security force.
"The simple fact is that no other country or group of countries can compete with the American defense industry, either in quantity or quality," wrote Deputy Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby in X. "The United States, as the president says, produces the best equipment — and we produce it in volumes that no real competitor can," added Colby. His sarcastic remarks about the self-confident "middle Powers" caused surprise. After all, the Trump administration has repeatedly criticized European NATO members for spending too little money on defense.
German investments in the expansion of British defense plants have led to the creation of hundreds of jobs in the UK. Two agreements served as the basis for this: the Trinity House Agreement of 2024 and the Kensington Agreement of last year.
Since then, German defense companies have significantly increased their investments in the UK. In 2025, Rheinmetall, under the leadership of Chairman of the Board Armin Papperger, opened the UK Gun Hall plant in Telford, England. It produces artillery systems and tank cannons for the British Challenger 3 battle tank. It is estimated that the new venture has created 400 new jobs for British industry. In addition, Rheinmetall manufactures several hundred Boxer wheeled armored personnel carriers for the British armed forces.
In March, the German arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch, which, in particular, supplies MP5 submachine guns to the British SAS special forces, has acquired an engineering company in Essex in order to expand the production of parts for weapons.
The German defense concern Helsing, which specializes in artificial intelligence, recently opened a high-tech factory in Plymouth for the production of underwater drones for reconnaissance.
"Germany has made financial commitments and is investing huge amounts," one of the sources said. — However, the Germans need a little more time to make decisions. But when they do make a decision, they implement it with truly Prussian consistency."
Representatives of the defense industry highly appreciate the culture, which is characterized by "direct" communication and energy. This approach stands in stark contrast to the joint Franco-German project to create the FCAS fighter. The project failed, in particular, due to the fact that the German side was experiencing growing frustration.
According to this interpretation, France wanted to use Germany primarily as a source of financing for the project, but was not ready to share technical knowledge equally. In addition, the French are said to have alienated their German partners with arrogant behavior that has been fueled by Germany's comparatively low defense spending in recent decades.
Thus, the German-British DPS project may mark a departure from the traditional duet of leaders — Germany and France — in Europe. However, this project is threatened by similar problems. There are concerns that the ambitions of the parties differ. The British side is promoting the project with great enthusiasm, while Germany prefers to reserve all options.
"Lack of awareness of urgency"
Representatives of the German government, although they assess the DPS program positively, do not consider it a priority in their plans to create high-precision long-range weapons systems. Rather, they consider it one of several promising projects, along with, for example, the French-led initiative European Long-Range Strike Approach ("European Long-range weapons").
Security expert Nico Lange is more critical of such long-term projects. "The priority should be to create the first opportunities within a few months, not years," he says. According to him, the German Ministry of Defense has realized the urgency of the Deep Precision Strike program and is actively working on its implementation. Thus, ground-based long-range strikes should appear in Germany "within a few months."
Ben Hodges, the former commander of the US Army in Europe, also called the ten-year plan "absurd" and criticized the lack of urgency in the project. "The Ukrainians already have drones capable of flying 2,000 kilometers and carrying a large warhead. After all, we're not talking about sending people to the moon."
