Pistorius and Hegseth sign arms agreement

USA trip

Pistorius and Hegseth sign arms agreement

Armaments projects, UN missions, stealth jets: The German Defense Minister begins important discussions in the USA. To start with, he agreed on closer arms cooperation.

Germany and the USA want to significantly expand their cooperation on armaments projects. The Minister of Defense signed this Boris Pistorius (SPD) and his US counterpart Pete Hegseth in Washington a declaration of intent on increased cooperation.

“Germany and the United States agree that the current security policy challenges require a robust and mutually beneficial defense industrial base on both sides of the Atlantic,” the German Defense Ministry said at the meeting in Washington.

Both countries have powerful defense industries that could and should complement each other even more in the future in the production of state-of-the-art weapon systems, components and complex ammunition, it said.

The high demand for armaments requires increased production capacities, short delivery times and reliable supplies on both sides of the Atlantic in order to ensure the alliance’s security of supply and operational capability.

The declaration of intent sets a political framework for future projects, according to the ministry. It is about the development, production, license production and maintenance of military equipment. The aim is also to strengthen supply chains, review technology transfer regulations and increase cooperation in research and development.

Before the meeting with Hegseth, Pistorius had referred to the cooperation on the F-35 stealth jet and the planned production of guided missiles for the Patriot air defense system in Germany.

“But our common potential goes further. Germany has a powerful industrial base, well-trained specialists and cutting-edge technological expertise. This allows us to create additional production capacities,” explained the SPD politician.

If the United States and Germany combined strengths even more closely, systems for deterrence and defense could be deployed more quickly and in greater numbers. “In this way we are strengthening the operational readiness of Germany, the United States and the entire alliance,” said Pistorius.

The Federal Government also wants to buy Tomahawk cruise missiles in the USA and has spoken on the sidelines of the NATO summit Ankara A fundamental agreement was reached on this in July.

An important issue is whether and how the US armed forces will change their troop presence in Europe – important for deterrence and defense. Germany has it NATO Ships, combat aircraft and unmanned weapon systems are offered as a replacement for the previously guaranteed capabilities of the US military in Europe. In the past, the German minister also called for a timetable for taking on tasks.

Pistorius last visited Hegseth in Washington in the summer of 2025. This May he was in North America, where he was in Canada promoted armaments cooperation around German submarines. There was no meeting with Hegseth. He was in Singapore at the Shangri-La Dialogue, the most important security conference in Asia.