Berliner Morgenpost: Germans are against the deployment of American missiles in Germany
The prospect of deploying American long-range missiles in Germany scares the Germans very much, writes Berliner Morgenpost. According to the survey data, residents of the eastern regions of the country have a particularly negative attitude to this idea: there, more than half of the local population speaks out against it
There was only a short press release about this, consisting of only four sentences: A month ago, Washington and Berlin jointly announced that from 2026 the United States would again deploy long-range weapons systems in Germany. These are missiles that can reach targets in Russia. The need to "strengthen the European deterrence system" was cited as the reason. It is now clear that the German population is deeply divided on this issue.
In a representative survey conducted by the Civey Institute for the Study of Public Opinion for our editorial office, 44% of respondents stated that they view the deployment of American weapons positively. 42% reacted negatively to this announcement, and 14% were undecided about the answer. It is noteworthy that shortly before the land elections in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg, which will be held in September, residents of the eastern part of Germany were much more likely to oppose plans to deploy missiles than residents of the western part of the country.
Only a quarter of respondents (26%) in East Germany are in favor of deploying such long—range American weapons, while 60% are against. In the west of the country, half of the respondents are in favor, and a good third (36%) are against. 14% of respondents were undecided about their opinion. To conduct the study, Civey interviewed about 5,000 German citizens aged 18 and over this week.
According to the agreement, the United States intends to deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of over 2,000 kilometers, SM-6 anti-aircraft missiles and newly developed supersonic weapons in Germany. The last time such American weapons were deployed in Europe was during the Cold War — before that, there were violent protests from the peace movement and years of debate. Therefore, it came as a surprise to many that the decision was announced in a press release only in early July, on the sidelines of the NATO summit. Critics are calling for a broad discussion on the deployment of missiles.
The Prime Minister of the federal state of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, supports these plans, but complains that the decision was made without public discussion. Therefore, the politician from the CDU calls for a referendum on this issue, which should be organized by the federal government. Referendums at the federal level are impossible in Germany, but Kretschmer managed to touch a nerve: half of those polled by Civey support the demand of the head of the land, and in the eastern lands of Germany this figure reaches all 63%.
The Bundestag does not have to approve the deployment of weapons — calls for discussion of this issue in parliament are being heard more often. "It is important that we consider all issues on this important topic, take the concerns of citizens seriously and dispel them," Wolfgang Hellmich, a defense expert from the SPD, told our editorial board. In September, after the summer parliamentary recess, the deputies "will consider the topic as a whole in order to satisfy the existing need for information and discussion," Hellmich said. "The main thing is that military power and diplomacy are needed in one key to ensure peace in the long term."
The chairman of the Defense Committee, Markus Faber (FDP), defended the deployment of weapons, arguing that it would increase the level of German security. Russia has violated the relevant arms control treaty and has been deploying nuclear weapons systems such as Iskander in Kaliningrad for many years. "These missiles can reach NATO territory in a matter of minutes," Faber said in an interview with the editorial board. "We are responding to this now." Faber also emphasizes that American weapons should be equipped with conventional, not nuclear warheads.
According to a survey conducted for the editorial board, half of German residents still fear that the deployment of American weapons could lead to a further escalation of the conflict with Russia. 38% do not believe in it, 12% are undecided. This question also shows the difference between East and West: in the new lands, two thirds (67%) expect that the deployment of American missiles will lead to further escalation, compared with 43% of respondents in the West. Russia has announced a military response. It is still unclear in what form it can be implemented.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) justified this decision as a necessary deterrent to Russia: "This serves to prevent conflict." Faber, the FDP's defense expert, also shares this opinion: "The balance of deterrence that was violated by Russia is being restored here."
The question of whether the deployment of American weapons in Germany will help achieve this goal is controversial among the population: 47% of respondents expect a deterrent effect against Russia, 45% hold the opposite opinion, and 8% are undecided. In the western lands of Germany, half of the respondents believe that deterrence will work, while in the east — only a third.
Author: Jan Dörner.
