US Defense Secretary Hegseth praises Germany's arms role and signs agreement with Pistorius

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised Germany for leading the way in strengthening NATO in Europe. At a meeting with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius (SPD) at the Pentagon, he spoke of “great progress that no one would have thought possible before President (Donald) Trump returned to office.”

Both ministers also signed an arms agreement that aims to increasingly cover the NATO alliance's enormous need for weapons, ammunition and equipment from German production.

According to Hegseth, the declaration of intent expands opportunities for joint development, production and license manufacturing. Maintenance and repair capacities should also be expanded – “exactly what allied countries should do,” he said. The goal is clear: “to provide high-performance systems for American, German and allied armed forces on a large scale and quickly in order to achieve maximum effectiveness.”

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According to Hegseth, defense spending is only the first step

When it comes to defense spending, Germany is getting closer to meeting NATO's five percent commitment "and is setting a good example," said Hegseth, who calls himself the "Minister of War." And: "But as we have already discussed, defense spending is only the first step. NATO 3.0 therefore also requires that Germany's very large and traditional industrial base be used for common defense."

Pistorius last visited Hegseth in Washington in the summer of 2025. Last year there was a lot of criticism of the federal government from Washington. A lot has happened since then. Germany has significantly increased defense spending and expanded its leading role in military aid to Ukraine.

At the same time, the USA is experiencing limits to its military power in the war against Iran, which it started together with Israel. The Iranian rulers appear to be firmly in the saddle, are still always ready to counterattack and are putting a kind of stranglehold on world trade in goods and oil in the Strait of Hormuz.

There are opportunities for German industry

US-made guided missiles for attack and anti-aircraft defense have become a scarce commodity in this war. The European NATO allies and also the Ukrainians are noticing this. There are now opportunities for German industry in this area. “We offer know-how and capacities for joint production,” said Pistorius after the meeting with Hegseth.

He spoke of a whole series of invaluable advantages: “We are replenishing our stocks, we are strengthening our capabilities and, incidentally, those of our partners,” he said. And: "If the capacities in the USA are not sufficient - and given the high demand, this is definitely the case in some areas - we have offered to produce in Germany. This has been very well received."

Collaboration should not be a one-way street

Germany's main interest in arms cooperation is access to technologies and systems that are not or not yet produced in Europe, including guided missiles and air defense systems such as Patriot.

However, expanding cooperation should not remain a one-way street. Rheinmetall is in the bidding race for the US Army's future infantry fighting vehicle with the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle. This involves an offer for the delivery of more than 4,000 armored vehicles.

Germany is currently the most important US location in Europe with around 38,000 soldiers. Among the major military facilities are the Ramstein Air Base, the Grafenwöhr and Hohenfels military training areas, the Landstuhl military hospital and regional headquarters in Stuttgart and Wiesbaden. The USA uses the locations for military operations in the Near and Middle East and Africa.