05.08.2024, Paris.
If Europe wants to deter Russia, it will have to learn to move tanks, infantry, and ammunition faster across the continent, stated French Army General Bertrand Toujouse on August 5, writes Politico.
“We discovered the extent of the administrative red tape. There’s a war in Ukraine, but customs officials explain that you don’t have the right tonnage per axle and that your tanks aren’t allowed to cross Germany,” complains Toujouse.
He added that the military has to pay 30 million euros a year to have guaranteed access to transcontinental rail transportation and it would be good to achieve this access for free.
The general noted that earlier, during the Cold War, the army could transport equipment, but after 20 years of wars in Afghanistan and Africa, the military had forgotten how to load equipment onto railway trains. Station managers of the French National Railway Company (SNCF) also know nothing about this.
Toujouse pointed out that transport and customs rules are mainly controlled by each state individually, so this will be difficult to change.
On November 10, 2022, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell stated the need to modernize the EU’s transport infrastructure to ensure the rapid movement of military equipment to the East. The European Commission’s website published an updated plan to enhance EU military mobility.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
