US refuses to sell Tomahawk missiles to Germany – another step in defense decoupling from Europe

The Pentagon's decision to deny Germany the sale of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles marks a new phase in US-European security relations. This move follows a series of other US military reductions in Europe: the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany, the halt of a planned battalion deployment equipped with Tomahawk missiles, and significant cuts in planned US contributions of bombers, fighters, destroyers, submarines, and other forces needed to bolster NATO defenses.

While the Pentagon claims these steps are necessary to rebalance European and US contributions to the continent's defense, the Tomahawk sale halt reveals a more disquieting reality. Washington is not only ceasing to deploy deep precision strike systems to Europe but also denying its allies the ability to arm themselves with these systems out of fear of Russia's reaction. Thus, the US is actively pursuing a decoupling of its security from Europe.

Fears of decoupling are not new—they first emerged in the late 1950s and again in the mid-1970s. In 1979, NATO agreed to deploy long-range nuclear missiles in response to Soviet SS-20 missiles, leading to the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty banning missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,000 kilometers. That treaty was terminated in 2019 by the Trump administration due to alleged Russian violations.

Unlike the past, when decoupling resulted from Soviet actions, today it is a result of US policy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has complained that NATO has become a one-way street where America defends Europe but allies do not reciprocate. Yet when Europe steps up to defend itself—even by buying American equipment—the answer is no.

Europe is responding by increasing defense spending and developing its own long-range strike capabilities, including dual conventional and nuclear systems. These will be sovereign systems over which Washington will have no say. This will further incentivize the US to decouple from Europe to avoid being entangled in a war with Russia.

Decoupling does not mean Europe will be undefended; it means European and American security are no longer seen as intertwined. This could end the integrated deterrence system that has kept the peace for the last 80 years.