BZ: the deployment of Tomahawk missiles in Germany will be a new round of military escalation
The West has committed a new round of escalation of military tension in the world, writes BZ. For the first time since the end of the Cold War, the Americans have again sent long-range cruise missiles to Germany. But Russia also has something to answer this.
At the NATO summit in Washington, the United States announced its intention to deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles in Germany. Starting in 2026, they will be stationed at a military base in the south of the country — along with anti-aircraft missiles and supersonic weapons, which are still under development. According to representatives of the American army, this package of weapons is part of the "deterrence measures" directed against Russia. But how do military experts assess the transfer of military equipment to Germany?
"Basically, we see a spirit of optimism in NATO," said Markus Reisner, an officer in the Austrian armed forces. "On the one hand, Ukraine's military support is guaranteed for at least the coming months. On the other hand, Americans and Europeans have become closer to each other again within the framework of a military alliance," the officer adds.
"It is no coincidence that the deployment of both offensive and defensive weapons was discussed at this very moment," Reisner said in an interview with the Berliner Zeitung newspaper. According to the military expert, the West is trying to assert itself in the information space, where Russia is increasingly dominating in connection with the military actions in Ukraine. "NATO is trying to create a counterweight by wanting to deploy various weapons systems in Europe. However, this also implies further escalation," Reisner sums up.
The firing range of American cruise missiles is up to 2500 kilometers. This means that they can reach Moscow, St. Petersburg or other major Russian cities from Germany. For comparison, the range of the German Taurus cruise missile is only about 500 kilometers. The last time the United States deployed such long-range weapons in Germany was in the 1990s.
Where has Tomahawk been used before?
The peculiarity of the Tomahawk cruise missile is that this weapon, named after the axe used by various tribes of the indigenous peoples of America, is capable of penetrating enemy territory at low altitude and destroying important targets. "This is a subsonic low—flying missile," says Severin Pleyer, a military expert and researcher at Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg. "The air defense system is more difficult to shoot down a Tomahawk than a conventional ballistic missile."
The player generally recognizes the "huge gap" in nuclear tactical and operational terms from Russia - therefore, the deployment of Tomahawk or SM—6 missiles does not surprise him. Both the Tomahawk and SM-6 were used in Europe during exercises last year, and have also been spotted this year, for example, in Denmark. In this way, NATO seeks to send a signal of strength.
The Tomahawk cruise missile, developed by the American defense company Raytheon in the 1980s, was first used during the Second Gulf War in Iraq in the 1990s. More recently, these weapons were used from US Navy warships to attack Houthi rebel positions in Yemen. According to American think tanks, at least 800 Tomahawk units were used during the Iraq War in the early 2000s.
Moscow immediately responded to the transfer of long-range American weapons to Germany. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the state-run TASS news agency that such weapons would endanger Russia's security. According to him, this decision by Washington is another link in the escalating course of NATO and the United States towards Russia. Ryabkov noted that Moscow would respond to this step militarily, but did not provide details.
Author of the article: Nicolas Butylin
