Germany Faces Missile Defense Gap After US Troop Withdrawal and Typhon Cancellation

May 6, 2026

The Trump administration announced withdrawal of approximately 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany and canceled planned Typhon ground-launched system deployments. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warned on May 5, 2026 that the cancellation creates a capability gap, as Germany had relied on the Typhon system which fires Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 interceptors. Germany is pursuing alternatives including the European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA) program with the United Kingdom.

US troop withdrawal from Germany

▪The article was published on May 5, 2026.
▪The Trump administration intends to withdraw approximately 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany.
▪President Donald Trump suggested the actual figure of U.S. troop withdrawal from Germany could be significantly higher than 5,000.

Typhon missile deployment cancellation

▪The Biden administration announced in July 2024 that it would temporarily station a Multi-Domain Task Force in Germany equipped with the Typhon ground-launched system.
▪The Typhon ground-launched system can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 interceptors.
▪The Trump administration effectively shelved the Biden-era plan to temporarily deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 missiles in Germany.
▪The Biden administration described the Typhon deployment as a bridging measure ahead of European alternatives coming online.

German capability gap response

▪German Defense Ministry state secretary Kornelius Müller declined to say whether Washington had responded to Germany's request for Typhon launchers.
▪The Bundestag's budget committee approved the Taurus Neo successor program in late 2025.
▪Germany submitted a formal Letter of Request for Typhon launchers to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in July 2025.
▪German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated on May 5, 2026 that the cancellation of the Typhon deployment meant Germany would be left with a capability gap.
▪German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius spoke on May 5, 2026 in Munster, Germany, after a major Bundeswehr combined-arms exercise.
▪Germany's first response pillar involves modernizing existing Taurus cruise missile stocks and accelerating development of the Taurus Neo successor.

European long-range strike development

▪France recently signaled its intention to join the European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA) program.
▪The European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA) is a joint program between Germany and the United Kingdom under which Berlin and London are co-developing strike capabilities beyond 2,000 kilometers range.
▪Germany and the United Kingdom began the European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA) program in 2023.
▪German Defense Ministry state secretary Kornelius Müller declined to commit to whether ELSA-derived capabilities would be ready before 2030.

NATO alliance defense planning

▪German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius previously warned as far back as 2023 that European NATO members would need to adapt to a reduced U.S. footprint on the continent as Washington pivots toward the Indo-Pacific.
▪German Defense Ministry state secretary Kornelius Müller stated that NATO's defense plans account for capability contributions across allied nations and that no gap would emerge at the alliance level.

Perspective of German Defense Ministry

▪German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius previously warned as far back as 2023 that European NATO members would need to adapt to a reduced U.S. footprint on the continent as Washington pivots toward the Indo-Pacific.
▪German Defense Ministry state secretary Kornelius Müller stated that NATO's defense plans account for capability contributions across allied nations and that no gap would emerge at the alliance level.