On July 10th, the White House website released a joint statement announcing that the United States will deploy long-range firepower in the US Army's "Multi Domain Task Force" stationed in Germany starting from 2026. These weapons will include Standard-6 missiles, Tomahawk missiles, and hypersonic weapons under development, with a range that will "far exceed" any land-based firepower system currently deployed in Europe. According to TASS, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stated that the decision by the United States and Germany is aimed at endangering Russia's national security, and Russia will consider developing military countermeasures.

The statement mentioned that it is expected that by 2026, the United States can deploy at least three new weapons to Germany. The first one is a precision strike missile developed by Lockheed Martin, which can strike targets within a range of 500 kilometers and has been delivered to the US Army for use. The second one is the "medium range capability" system, which can launch ground attack missiles based on the "Standard-6" and "Tomahawk" cruise missiles. Among them, the Tomahawk cruise missile has a range of over 1600 kilometers and has been equipped by the US Army, mainly used to attack high-value targets such as air defense systems and command posts. The third one is the "long-range hypersonic weapon" currently under development, which the US Army calls the "Dark Eagle". Mainly used to assist gliding hypersonic missiles, designed to strike targets 2776 kilometers away. In addition, the US military is developing a ground launched hypersonic missile system with a range of approximately 1600 kilometers.

German Chancellor Scholz welcomed by US President Biden and NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg

It is understood that among the missile systems currently deployed by the United States in Europe, the maximum range of its missiles is only 300 kilometers, which is mainly related to the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty of that year. The Treaty between the Soviet Union and the United States on the Elimination of Their Intermediate Range and Short Range Missiles was signed in 1987, which stipulated that the two countries would no longer possess, produce, or test land-based cruise missiles and ballistic missiles with a range of 500 to 5500 kilometers. In 2018, the US accused Russia of repeatedly violating treaty provisions over the past four years, and in 2019, the US withdrew from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty on this grounds. Previously, the United States and Russia signed the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in 2010, aimed at limiting the number of nuclear warheads held by both countries. In 2023, Russia announced the cessation of its participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. This also means that these regulations are virtually ineffective in imposing military restrictions on Russia and the United States.

This joint statement was issued during the NATO summit. NATO, officially known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is an international military group established by the United States and major developed countries in Western Europe and North America to achieve defense cooperation. In 1949, the United States and 12 European countries signed the North Atlantic Treaty, officially establishing NATO. The purpose of NATO was to compete with the members of the Eastern European bloc led by the former Soviet Union. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, NATO became a regional defense cooperation organization. NATO conducts consultations and cooperation on major international issues, holds various joint military exercises every year, possesses a large number of nuclear weapons and conventional forces, and the United States is also able to control Europe's defense system. It is an important military force in the West and a symbol of the Western camp's strategic alliance in military affairs.

The NATO summit is held in Elmoborg, located in the Alps of Bavaria, southern Germany

The US believes that deploying long-range firepower in Europe is one of the necessary measures to address regional security challenges and better respond to threats from potential adversaries such as Russia. With Russia's actions in the Ukraine crisis and its increasing military activities in the European periphery, the United States believes it is necessary to strengthen its military deployment in Europe to maintain regional stability and security.

Germany supports the decision of the United States, and German Chancellor Scholz expressed support for this plan, considering it an important measure to strengthen NATO's defense capabilities and maintain European security. But as one of the important countries in Europe, it is also striving to seek balance and compromise with Russia.

The Russian side expressed strong opposition and warning. It is believed that the deployment of long-range firepower by the United States in Germany will seriously threaten Russia's national security and may trigger a new arms race and regional tension. Faced with the provocative actions of the United States, Russia will have to take countermeasures to maintain its own security. Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov even pointed out that this action will lead to the resurgence of confrontational features from the Cold War era.

This move has attracted widespread attention from the international community. Some countries are concerned that this may lead to new arms races and regional conflicts, exacerbating the tension in international relations and triggering more attention and discussion.