Europe | OK boomer

American long-range missiles are coming back to Europe

The German deployment is part of a resurgence of deep-strike weapons

Soldiers swap a pod on a Long Range Hypersonic Weapon Transporter Erector Launchers in preparation for exercise Resolute Hunter 24-2.
Photograph: U.S. Army photo by Capt. Ryan DeBooy

WHEN DONALD TRUMP pulled out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 2019 most European states were aghast. They agreed that Russia had cheated on the cold-war pact, which prohibited all ground-based missiles (conventional and nuclear alike) with ranges between 500km and 5,500km. But they thought Mr Trump’s decision reckless and liable to start an arms race. Who in Europe would host such missiles anyway? Pretty much everyone, it turns out.

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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “OK boomer”

From the September 28th 2024 edition

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