Poll: Most Germans oppose the U.S. deploying long-range missiles in Germany

By ramontomeydw // 2024-08-05

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Most Germans believe that the country's decision to allow the U.S. to deploy long-range missiles there is wrong, according to a recent poll. The poll, which was conducted from July 25 to 26 by the Forsa Institute for Social Research and Statistical Analysis on behalf of the RTL broadcaster, surveyed 1,002 respondents. Of this total, 49 percent of respondents from the former West Germany think the new missile deployment is "not right." Only 45 percent of respondents from the former Bonn Republic were in favor of the deployment. The survey also found that opposition to the U.S. missile deployment is higher in the territories that comprised the former East Germany. Seventy-four percent opposed the decision, compared to the 23 percent who are in favor of the deployment. Following the end of World War II and throughout the Cold War, Germany was divided into two – West Germany (formally the Federal Republic of Germany) under Allied control, and the Soviet-controlled East Germany (formally the German Democratic Republic). It was only after the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 that the eastern and western blocs were united. On July 10, Germany and the U.S. announced in a joint statement that the latter would start deploying missiles with "long-range fire capabilities" on German soil from 2026. The said missile systems were previously banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, according to Antiwar.com. Under the treaty, signatory parties are not allowed to use land-based missile systems with a range between 310 and 3,400 miles. Among the missiles to be deployed are nuclear-capable Tomahawk missiles, which have a range of more than 1,000 miles. Because of the INF Treaty ban on a land-based version, Tomahawk missiles are typically used on U.S. Navy destroyers and submarines. Aside from this, SM-6 missiles – which can hit targets up to 290 miles away – will also be deployed. (Related: U.S. bares plan to deploy previously banned missiles to Germany.) Given these, Washington appears to insinuate the deployment of a Typhon missile system. This covert system can be concealed in a 40-foot shipping container and can fire both Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles.

German politicians oppose missile deployment

Several German politicians also opposed the plan, including allies of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz from his Social Democratic Party (SPD). Lawmaker Rolf Mutzenich, who leads the SPD in the Bundestag – Germany's lower house of parliament – is one of them. "Not every weapon makes Germany immediately safer," said Mutzenich, who previously warned that the "danger of an unintentional military escalation is considerable." Senior SDP members were also reportedly concerned about the deployment, according to POLITICO. This prompted them to call a debate about the matter in September. "The current debate surrounding the announced stationing of long-range conventional weapons systems in Germany concerns us all," the politicians said in a note seen by the outlet. Ralph Thomas Niemeyer, chairman of the German Council for Constitution and Sovereignty, meanwhile called for the closure of U.S. bases in Germany. According to him, these bases where the missiles will be deployed are being used by the American government to carry out its own conflicts. "We saw the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and now Ukraine being fought from German territory – from the Ramstein Air Base and from other places such as [the German cities of] Wiesbaden, Grafenwohr and Stuttgart," said Niemeyer. "It would be impossible if they were not present there, so I am all for saying, 'Please go home.'" According to Niemeyer, a perennial candidate for the Bundestag, former President Donald Trump winning in the November elections in the U.S. would be a good chance for Germany to free itself from Washington's influence. This is because Trump "does not want to spend too much on the troop deployment either." "Trump voiced all this during his last presidential term. He could have gone as far as shutting [U.S. military bases in Germany] down – that is what we are interested in. We would say: 'Sure, Americans, please. Go home. Be our friends, but do not occupy us anymore.'" Visit WWIII.news for similar stories. Watch Russian President Vladimir Putin threatening to deploy Moscow's arsenal in response to Washington's plan to deploy missiles in Germany. This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

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German politicians oppose missile deployment

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