Germany, Britain to develop new 'deep precision strike' weapons

Berlin, May 16 (IANS) German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and visiting British Defence Secretary John Healey have agreed to start working on a new "Deep Precision Strike Capability" system aimed at a range of more than 2,000 km.

Given the current threat situation, there is an urgent need for such long-range weapons and to close the "Deep Precision Strike" capability gap, said a statement issued by the German Defence Ministry on Thursday after their meeting.

British Ministry of Defence said that the new 2,000-km precision deep strike capability will be among the most advanced systems ever designed by Britain, to safeguard the British public and reinforce NATO deterrence, while boosting British and European defence sectors.

Germany's Boris Pistorius said work on the missiles had begun and would be critical for European security.

"The current threat situation makes it absolutely clear that we need to close all capability gaps," Pistorius said.

"And we need to do that as quickly as possible."

Europe's governments have looked to establish more independence from US military technology amid doubts about Washington's future commitment to Europe's security.

Both Germany and Britain also agreed to strengthen cooperation in terms of equipment systems, countering undersea threats, and developing further connectivity between their air forces.

The two Ministers also discussed support for Ukraine as well as the upcoming NATO summit in June, where discussions are expected to focus on defence budget sharing among NATO member countries.

The new German federal government has promised to step up its spending on national defence and build a strong army.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in February that Europe would have to work to achieve "real independence" from the US, whose leadership now seemed "largely indifferent" to the fate of Europe.

The Defence Ministers also pointed to other projects their countries were working on, including joint procurement of torpedoes and the establishment of a new forum bringing together defence firms from each nation.

"European nations in NATO must do more and step up to strengthen European security," Healey said.

"The best way to do that is for leading nations like Germany and the UK to do more together."

Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said earlier on Thursday that the country backs proposal to increase defence spending to five per cent of GDP.

--IANS

int/khz