Germany Is Considering Buying A Missile Defense System

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said late Sunday that Germany is considering buying a missile defense system to shield against a possible attack from Russia.

When asked if Germany could buy a defense system like Israel's Iron Dome, he told public broadcaster ARD, "This is definitely one of the issues we're discussing, and rightfully so." No information has yet been shared about what kind of system Berlin is considering. When asked whether Germany aims to procure a longer-range missile defense system compared to the current Patriot, Scholz said, "We need to know that we have a neighbor ready to use violence to push their interests." Bild am Sonntag newspaper previously reported that one of the issues discussed during Scholz's meeting with Germany's defense chief, Eberhard Zorn, is a missile defense shield for all German territory. Scholz said, "We need to better protect ourselves against the threat from Russia. For this we need a Germany-wide missile defense shield quickly, The Arrow 3 system is a good solution." Making an important speech days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Scholz announced that Germany would increase its defense spending to more than 2% of its economic output and transfer 100 billion Euros ($110 billion) to defense. Moscow says the goals of what Putin calls a "special military operation" are the "demilitarization and demilitarization" of its neighbor. Ukraine and its Western allies call it an excuse for an invasion for no reason. The head of parliament's defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, said Germany should consider various options. In an interview on Welt television, Zimmermann said, "Israel produces such a system, and it's important not only to look at different scenarios, but also to potentially buy it as soon as possible."