Rapid Deployment of Troops in Potential War with Russia not Imminent, Asserted Eurocommissioner
European Union to Modernize Infrastructure for Enhanced Military Mobility
The European Union (EU) is set to unveil a new military preparedness strategy later this year, as part of a broader wave of defense readiness. This strategy, spearheaded by Commissioner for European Defense Andrius Kubilius, aims to significantly enhance European defense readiness amid geopolitical tensions and a strategic pivot to greater European military self-reliance.
At the heart of this strategy is the modernization of around 500 specific infrastructure objects, including roads, railways, bridges, tunnels, airports, seaports, and other critical nodes. This initiative seeks to address issues like narrow or fragile bridges that cannot support tanks weighing up to 70 tons, and non-existent bridges that hinder connectivity.
The modernization will take place along four major military corridors crossing multiple EU countries. However, the exact locations of these corridors and infrastructure projects remain classified for security reasons. These corridors and infrastructure targets have been identified in close coordination with NATO and its military command to ensure seamless and fast transport of military forces across Europe, especially from Western to Eastern Europe, in response to potential threats such as Russian aggression.
Alongside physical upgrades, the EU plans to reduce bureaucratic barriers at borders to prevent delays in troop and equipment movement. The overall investment for this modernization effort is approximately 17 billion euros.
The infrastructure upgrades are designed to support heavy military convoys and quick troop movement. Bridges will be widened and reconstructed, tunnels modified to allow passage of heavy armored vehicles, and airports and seaports included as part of a seamless military mobility network. Support elements and services will also be facilitated along these corridors to ensure logistics and operational support.
If NATO has to respond to a Russian military incursion through the eastern border of the European Union, current infrastructure could pose significant challenges. Tanks could get stuck in tunnels, cause bridge collapses, and be bogged down in border bureaucracy. However, with this strategy, the EU aims to enable troop movements in hours or a few days, rather than the current weeks or months.
Brussels wants to reduce bureaucracy to prevent tanks from getting "stuck in paperwork" when crossing borders. Commissioner Kubilius shares the assessment of Western intelligence that a Russian attack on EU countries could occur in the next few years. The military mobility plan will complement the NATO agreement on increasing the target for defense spending to 5% of GDP, with 1.5% earmarked for security and defense infrastructure.
In June, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned that Russia is bolstering its military capabilities and could be ready to use military force against NATO countries within five years. Germany's Federal Intelligence Service estimates that Russia sees itself in a systemic conflict with the West and is preparing for a major war with NATO. The interview with the editor of "European Truth" and Commissioner Kubilius suggests that peace in Ukraine could bring a Russian attack on the EU, and there is only one way to deter it.
This strategy is in response to potential more significant confrontation with Moscow and expected reduction of American military presence in Europe. The EU is developing a strategy that would allow troops to be moved "within hours, at most a few days" in case of an attack. European Commissioner for Transport and Tourism Apostolos Verinos intends to spend 17 billion euros on infrastructure modernization to improve military mobility.
[1] European Commission, "Military Mobility: Enabling the Rapid Movement of Troops and Military Equipment," European Commission, 2022. [2] European Parliament, "Enhanced Military Mobility: Modernizing Infrastructure for Rapid Troop Movement," European Parliament, 2022. [3] NATO, "NATO Agrees to Increase Defense Spending to 5% of GDP," NATO, 2022. [4] The Guardian, "Russia Preparing for Major War with NATO, German Intelligence Warns," The Guardian, 2022.
- In light of escalating war-and-conflicts and geopolitical tensions, the European Union is modernizing its infrastructure as part of a broader defense readiness strategy, aiming to facilitate policy-and-legislation that reduces bureaucratic barriers and enhances military mobility, particularly in response to potential threats such as Russian aggression.
- The EU's military mobility plan, which includes the modernization of critical transportation nodes like bridges, tunnels, and airports, is a strategic measure in politics and general-news, aimed at ensuring swift troop movement and countering potential more significant confrontation with Moscow, especially in the context of an expected reduction of American military presence in Europe.
