Europe Unveils $50 Billion Long-Range Missile Initiative as NATO Pushes for Stronger Deterrence

A coalition of 12 European countries will spend $50 billion over the next 10 years on a new long-range missile system with precision strike capability to expand NATO’s deterrence in Europe, as allies accelerate efforts to strengthen the alliance’s military capabilities and assume a greater share of collective defense.The announcement of the new system—dubbed Deep Precision Strike—was made by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office on July 8 while NATO leaders gathered in Ankara for a summit focused on defense spending, burden-sharing, support for Ukraine, and other issues.The UK-led initiative is expected to see participating allies invest more than $50 billion over the next decade to develop a suite of long-range strike weapons capable of hitting targets at ranges of at least 186 miles, with some systems exceeding 1,243 miles, using what Starmer’s office described as “pinpoint accuracy.”“With deep precision strike capability, the UK and our allies will be able to hit high-value military targets and the logistical engines that drive armies, deterring any aggressor and strengthening our mutual security,” British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement.The initiative will “radically” enhance NATO’s defense and deterrence capabilities, Starmer’s office said, describing the move as further evidence that non-U.S. NATO allies are “stepping up” in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s calls for a stronger alliance in which Europe takes greater responsibility for its own defense.“At Ankara we are sending a clear message to President Putin,” Cooper said. “NATO is stronger, more European, and ready to defend our citizens against the long-term threat posed by him and the Russian state.”Europe Expands Long-Range Strike CapabilitiesThe announcement comes as NATO puts more emphasis on deep precision strike systems after more than four years of war in Ukraine has highlighted the growing importance of long-range missiles capable of disrupting logistics hubs, command centers, and other high-value targets far behind front lines.Starmer said the initiative would bring European allies together to accelerate cooperation on advanced strike capabilities and ensure NATO “remains safe and secure for years to come.”The UK has already committed more than $3 billion by 2030 for its own long-range strike programs, Starmer’s office said, adding that the new initiative will deepen collaboration on technology, industrial capacity, and weapons development across Europe.Britain is currently working with Germany to develop stealth and hypersonic strike systems with ranges exceeding 1,243 miles, while also partnering with France and Italy on the development of a successor to the Storm Shadow cruise missile.The announcement from Starmer’s office followed NATO’s own declaration a day earlier that allies were launching several multinational initiatives to accelerate the development of deep precision strike capabilities and ammunition production.Among them, six allies—Denmark, France, Italy, Norway, Turkey, and the United Kingdom—launched the Ground-Based Precision Strike Capabilities High Visibility Project to jointly explore new launchers and missile systems.In announcing the initiatives, NATO said the war in Ukraine had demonstrated that the threat from long-range strikes is “growing and evolving fast,” requiring allies to become “more agile” in developing and fielding such capabilities.NATO 3.0 and Greater Burden-SharingStarmer’s announcement of the Deep Precision Strike project comes after Moscow said late last year that Russia’s hypersonic, nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system had entered active service.Russia has since used the weapon in Ukraine, including a strike on Kyiv in May that marked the third operational use of the missile during the four-year war.The announcement by Starmer’s office also aligns with the broader shift underway within NATO toward greater European responsibility for its own defense.In June, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced a six-month review of American force posture and funding relating to NATO as part of the Trump administration’s effort to build what he described as “NATO 3.0.”Hegseth characterized NATO 3.0 as a return to the alliance’s original mission as a hard-edged military pact focused on deterrence and warfighting rather than broader political objectives.He described an era in which the alliance had lost its way and turned itself into a “paper tiger” by focusing on “gender equity and climate change and defense austerity.”Ahead of the Ankara summit, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said European allies and Canada were already heeding the Trump administration’s call and are now investing around 4 percent of their combined gross domestic product in defense and security—up sharply from previous years.“After years of under investment, we are producing real capabilities,” Rutte said, describing what he said was a “real shift in mindset” among NATO’s European members.“A stronger Europe in a stronger NATO. The investment is there.”