Pistorius keen to expand defence cooperation with US
Germany and the US want to cooperate more closely on arms production. During a visit to the US, Boris Pistorius talks about other joint projects.
Washington (dpa) -German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius is meeting his US counterpart Pete Hegseth in Washington today. Their talks at the Pentagon will focus among other things on closer defence cooperation between Germany and the US and the future role the US armed forces will play in defending Europe.
Germany and the US are already collaborating on the F-35 stealth jet and the Patriot air defence system. Guided missiles for Patriot are also to be manufactured in Germany in future. Furthermore, the German government wants to buy Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US.
If Germany and the US were to combine their strengths even more closely, deterrence and defence systems could be made available more quickly and in larger numbers, explained Pistorius. “This would increase the operational readiness of Germany, the United States and the entire alliance.”
Pistorius will then travel on to New York. Talks with UN representatives, including Secretary-General António Guterres, are on the agenda there. The future of UN Blue Helmet missions will be among the topics discussed.
Pistorius will round off his trip to the USA with a visit to US aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth on Friday. The first of the 35 F-35 jets ordered by Germany will be officially handed over there. The aircraft will replace the Luftwaffe’s fleet of Tornados. The first jets will initially remain in the US for training of German pilots.
