NATO develops plan for transfer of troops in case of war with Russia

Oleh Pavliuk, Anastasia Protz — Tuesday, 4 June 2024, 17:32

The North Atlantic Alliance is creating multiple "land corridors" through which American military and armoured vehicles can be transferred closer to the front line in the event of a large-scale ground conflict with Russia, The Telegraph reports. 

Source: The Telegraph, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Logistical routes in Europe have become a top focus since NATO leaders committed to prepare 300,000 troops to protect the alliance during a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, last year.

To that purpose, the Alliance is developing land corridors that will allow the military to carry supplies freely without imposing limitations on civilians.

The current plan is for US troops to land in Dutch ports, notably Rotterdam, before being transferred by train across Germany to Poland.

If Russian attacks destroy northern European ports, another path is being prepared: through southern ports in Italy, Greece, and Türkiye. US troops can be moved from Italy via Slovenia and Croatia to Hungary, which shares a border with Ukraine.

Similar plans exist to transfer troops from Turkish and Greek ports through Bulgaria and Romania.

According to The Telegraph, plans are being made for troop transfers through Balkan ports as well as Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

According to Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank, the NATO Joint Forces Logistics Command (JSEC), which he leads, has spent the last five years investigating potential methods for delivering soldiers to resist the Russian invasion.

"Everything is created in a way so the necessary resilience exists – robustness, reserves and also redundancies," he explained.

At the same time, Sollfrank expressed concern that NATO had insufficient air defences to cover its eastern flank.

"Observing and assessing the Russian war in Ukraine, we have observed Russia has attacked Ukraine’s logistics bases. That must lead to the conclusion that it is clear that huge logistics bases, as we know it from Afghanistan and Iraq, are no longer possible because they will be attacked and destroyed very early on in a conflict situation." the general said.

Last year, the Alliance warned member countries about the impact of bureaucratic red tape on the movement of troops in Europe, proposing the creation of a "military Schengen" as a solution.

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