Germany is quietly reviving efforts to expand its long-range strike and undersea capabilities while a string of domestic stories also made headlines on May 9–10, 2026.
Tomahawk missile push
Germany has reportedly renewed a bid to buy US Tomahawk cruise missiles together with mobile Typhon ground launchers. Officials hope to persuade Washington to approve the sale after a formal request submitted last July. The systems would let the Bundeswehr strike targets hundreds of kilometers into adversary territory — a capability many analysts say Europe currently lacks. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is preparing a trip to Washington to press the case. US Tomahawk stocks have been drawn down in recent conflicts, and the Pentagon has signed a large contract with Raytheon to ramp up production.
Submarine partnership outreach
At the same time Berlin is promoting a joint German–Norwegian stealth submarine program, urging Canada to join the project. The Type 212CD boats, built by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, are diesel-electric vessels with large batteries that allow very quiet submerged operations. The €5.5 billion program currently covers six subs for Germany and four for Norway, with options for more. German Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, on a visit to Canada, pressed for deeper defence and industrial cooperation so Ottawa might order the boats as well.
Politics and diplomacy
Within the Social Democratic Party (SPD), reactions were split after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested former chancellor Gerhard Schröder as a possible mediator in peace talks over Ukraine. Critics point to Schröder’s close ties and friendship with the Kremlin as disqualifying; others say any credible mediator who could help end the war should be considered. Schröder’s office declined to comment, and unnamed German officials called Putin’s proposal not credible, noting Moscow has not changed its conditions for ending the conflict.
Coalition tensions
Markus Söder of the CSU warned against another collapse of a federal coalition, saying a government elected for four years should serve that full term. His comments recalled the fall of Olaf Scholz’s three-way coalition in November 2024 and come amid public disputes in Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU–CSU–SPD government over budget cuts and rising support for the far-right AfD.
Domestic and human-interest stories
– Cologne evacuation: About 4,100 residents in the Lindenthal district of Cologne were ordered to leave temporarily so authorities could defuse an uncovered World War II 1,000-pound American bomb with an impact fuse. Hospitals, schools and daycare centers inside a 500-meter radius were included in the evacuation. Germany still detonates large numbers of WWII ordnance each year; North Rhine-Westphalia alone disposed of more than 1,600 bombs in 2024.
– Humpback whale rescue: A Hamburg law firm representing the owner of a rescue barge said a humpback that had been stranded on Germany’s Baltic coast sustained scratches during towing. The first release attempt on May 1 failed, but a subsequent operation succeeded and the whale was freed about 70 km off northern Denmark. Animal welfare groups had assessed the animal’s long-term survival chances as low.
– Cruise ship hantavirus evacuation: German nationals aboard the MV Hondius, anchored off Tenerife amid a hantavirus outbreak, were to be repatriated on a Dutch evacuation flight. Spain prioritized its own citizens first; passengers from the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Greece were slated to transfer to the Netherlands before final flights to Germany. The World Health Organization reported six confirmed and two suspected cases, with three deaths so far.
Other national items
– Bundestag construction debate: Lawmakers are pushing to halt the larger Luisenblock Ost II parliamentary construction project to save money amid tight public finances. The proposal aims to cut at least €600 million in construction costs.
– NATO and defence posture: Chancellor Merz said NATO unity remains strong despite talks in Washington about lowering US troop levels in Germany, arguing the alliance’s strength rests on shared objectives rather than numbers of deployed forces.
– Sport and culture: The German Football Association continued negotiations over World Cup player bonuses ahead of the tournament in North America. Separately, Pope Leo XIV urged sustainable stewardship of resources after receiving visitors from Munich’s historic Augustiner-Bräu brewery, noting the importance of responsible use of creation for the common good.
– Environment: Germany reached its 2026 Earth Overshoot Day early in the year, meaning the country had consumed its annual share of global biocapacity sooner than it should. Environmental groups blamed heavy reliance on fossil fuels, energy-intensive industry, transport and livestock farming and urged faster transitions to renewables and efficiency measures.
This roundup reflects developments reported across May 9–10, 2026, as Berlin balances defence procurement ambitions with pressing domestic, environmental and political challenges.