According to Politico, NATO is encountering growing challenges in both long-range strike capabilities and air defense against unmanned aerial vehicles.
Germany has reportedly lost the ability to host U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles on its territory. The plan, originally approved in 2024 under former U.S. President Joe Biden, included the deployment of a specialized U.S. Army unit equipped with Typhon launch systems. However, these arrangements were effectively canceled following a decision by current President Donald Trump to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany. The move is reportedly linked to tensions after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized U.S. military actions against Iran.
“This creates a gap in NATO’s deterrence posture against Russia,” said Metin Hakverdi, a member of the Bundestag representing the Social Democratic Party.
He noted that the original deployment plan for Tomahawk missiles was conceived as a response to Russia’s deployment of the Iskander missile system in the Kaliningrad region in 2018. These systems are capable of striking significant portions of German territory.
A senior NATO diplomat, speaking anonymously, told Politico that Europe still lacks sufficient long-range strike capabilities. Currently, neither Germany nor other EU countries have an immediate alternative to the Tomahawk cruise missile, which has a reported range of up to 1,600 km.
Germany’s existing Taurus missile has a range of approximately 500 km. A modernized version, Taurus Neo, is expected to reach up to 1,000 km, according to German defense officials. However, deployment is not anticipated before 2030.
Meanwhile, a broader European initiative, the European Long Range Strike Approach (ELSA), aims to develop a missile with a range exceeding 2,000 km. This project is still in early stages and may take up to a decade to complete.
At the same time, Bloomberg reports that NATO countries bordering Russia and Ukraine are facing technical challenges in detecting and intercepting low-flying drones.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal stated that Ukrainian drones crossing borders are creating complications for NATO air defense systems. He urged Ukraine to prevent drone debris from falling onto Estonian territory.
Similarly, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo described airspace violations as “unacceptable.”
