Germany Expresses Desire to Sign Agreements for Producing American Weapons on Its Territory

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced yesterday that Germany wishes to produce more American weapons on its own soil that are needed by its military, as it seeks to develop German-American military-industrial cooperation. Speaking to journalists alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who was a guest at a cabinet meeting in Berlin, Pistorius said, “We know that American production capacities are limited and that it is necessary to increase them.” He added, “For this reason, we are interested in manufacturing certain systems, or components of systems, here in Germany.” The German defense minister stated, “No one, by calling for greater independence, wants to abandon American systems,” noting that there are weapons produced in Europe “and we have an urgent need for them in the next five to ten years.” For his part, the NATO Secretary General welcomed Germany’s efforts to strengthen its military, emphasizing that the alliance summit would specifically address how to “significantly strengthen our defense industries.” He affirmed that even if the war in Ukraine ends, “Russia will remain a long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security.” Demand for certain American equipment, particularly missiles and defensive systems such as Patriot, has risen in the face of growing crises and wars around the world, while stocks of these weapons, which have been used in large numbers in Ukraine and in the Middle East conflict, remain limited. Germany and other European NATO members are seeking to develop their military industries in parallel.