Germany seeks joint weapons manufacturing with US to secure defense ties under Trump

Germany is intensifying efforts to produce American weaponry on German soil in a bid to address its military equipment shortages and secure a continued defense commitment from US President Donald Trump’s administration.

Berlin aims to leverage the defense industry to deepen its strategic relationship with Washington, the Financial Times reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

One source said that negotiations are already underway to bring German and American defense contractors together for joint weapons production.

Another source stated that every option to strengthen the defense capabilities of both nations is on the table. This includes discussions on the joint production of Tomahawk cruise missiles as well as the advanced PAC-3 missiles used in Patriot air defense systems.

The German Ministry of Defense confirmed that intensive cooperation with the US is ongoing.

As examples of this partnership, the ministry pointed to German defense contractor Rheinmetall manufacturing fuselage sections for American F-35 fighter jets, and the collaborative work on Patriot missiles by MBDA and Raytheon, a joint German-American partnership.

The Financial Times reported that the German federal government is in contact with MBDA and Raytheon regarding potential cooperation on the production of land-launched Tomahawk missiles, which have a range exceeding 2,000 kilometers, though direct negotiations on this specific matter have not yet begun.

The report noted that any decision involving the transfer of critical military technology outside of US borders remains subject to approval by Washington.

Seeking to close the deterrence gap

Berlin’s primary objective is viewed as bridging potential gaps in European deterrence should Washington shift its military priorities toward the Indo-Pacific region.

Within the opposition alliance led by Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), significant concern was triggered by the Pentagon’s decision in May to abandon plans to deploy a battalion equipped with land-launched Tomahawk missiles to Germany.

The deployment had originally been planned during the administration of Joe Biden as a response to Russia stationing missiles and military aircraft in Kaliningrad. Berlin is now reiterating its request to purchase these missiles directly, while also evaluating the Ukrainian-developed Flamingo cruise missile as an alternative option.

However, Bastian Ernst, a member of the Bundestag’s Defense Committee, expressed caution regarding the transfer of sensitive technologies.

“I do not believe the Americans will open their black boxes containing all their intellectual property rights and sensitive technologies to let us look inside,” Ernst said. “Manufacturing F-35 fuselages is simply assembling metal parts; there is no magic to it. The technologies we wish to acquire to close our defense capability gaps are far more sensitive than what they are willing to transfer to us.”

Despite these hurdles, the production capacity of the German defense industry is showing significant growth. Armin Papperger, Chief Executive of Rheinmetall, stated in April that Germany’s traditional ammunition manufacturing capacity has surpassed that of the US.

Papperger noted that his company has increased its medium-caliber ammunition production capacity from 800,000 rounds to more than 4 million, while its artillery ammunition capacity has grown from 70,000 rounds to 1.1 million.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported in an analysis that Germany is transforming into a military production hub as it shifts its industrial weight away from the automotive sector and toward the defense industry.

In early May, the US announced plans to withdraw approximately 5,000 troops from its military presence in Germany, a move the Pentagon described as a reflection of Trump’s dissatisfaction with allied defense spending. Trump subsequently pledged to reduce troop levels further.

In spite of these developments, Berlin continues its efforts to persuade Washington to approve the sale of Tomahawk missiles equipped with Typhon launcher systems to maintain deterrence against Russia.