The Pentagon said on July 10 that starting 2026, the US would begin episodic deployments of long-range weapons in Germany as part of planning for enduring stationing of these weapons in the future. This includes SM-6, Tomahawk and developmental hypersonic missiles.
"We are completely against this as an organization, but the majority of German nationals are strongly against the deployment of any missiles as well," Niemeyer said.
A survey published by Stern magazine on July 16 showed that 47% of Germans were concerned that US missile deployment would increase the risk of war between NATO and Russia, while only 17% said it would not.
Niemeyer that similar discussions on missile deployment took place in the early 1980s and suggested that the move could hurt the public image of Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told media over the weekend that it would be too "naive" of Germany to say "no" to what she described as enhanced deterrence and additional counterweapons.