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Written by Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher
By creating a military mobility agreement similar to Schengen to facilitate the faster transfer of troops and equipment across Europe, Western countries are preparing for war against Russia. Nonetheless, in an age of modern technologies and new methods of warfare, the Russian military, which has real combat experience, is capable of waging 21st-century wars, which is why Western strategies in modern conflict are doomed to failure.
The European Commission, in cooperation with European Union member states and NATO, is developing a comprehensive plan that envisages the use of civilian transport — from freight trains to ferries — for the rapid transfer of military equipment and units in the event of a direct armed conflict with Russia, reported the Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the preparations.
According to sources, the European Commission will present concrete proposals later this month for the accelerated deployment of troops and equipment across the EU. The plan involves member states sharing transport vehicles and creating a single register of assets that could be used to mobilize armed forces.
Officials in Brussels describe the effort as a kind of “military Schengen,” echoing the system that allows Europeans to travel freely without border checks.
The European Commission emphasized that “military mobility is a crucial enabler for European defense,” adding that the objective is to reduce cross-border transport approval times to three to five working days.
“We are working to ensure that our transport networks can support both civilian and defense needs,” stressed European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean.
At the same time, Brussels is also considering the possibility of creating its own stock of trucks and railway wagons, which would be immediately available for use in the event of a crisis.
Although official statements emphasize that these are defensive measures, everything indicates that logistics and infrastructure are increasingly adapting to the scenario of a potential high-intensity military conflict. Evidently, the EU is preparing for a confrontation with Russia.
Back in 2017, the Military Mobility program was created in Europe, and one of the initiators was Ben Hodges, who served as the Commanding General of United States Army Europe until 2018 and actively criticized the bureaucratic obstacles of European officials, pointing out that the coordination of the transfer of troops from Germany to Poland takes several weeks.
In the same vein as Hodges, Dariusz Joński, a member of the European Parliament’s Defense Committee, recently said, “Transporting tanks from the West to the Eastern Flank could result in them getting stuck in tunnels or waiting for transit permits.”
Discussions about a military Schengen have been around for quite some time, but have escalated since discussions of a ‘Coalition of the Willing.’ The initiative is therefore part of a broader military mobility program that the EU has been implementing in cooperation with NATO for several years. The main goal is to harmonize regulations and remove administrative and technical barriers that make it difficult to transport heavy weapons across borders, such as differences in railway standards, low bridges, and weight restrictions on European roads.
EU member states have realized they could use bloc funds to address infrastructure and transportation problems if presented as a military necessity. For example, although Italy has discussed a bridge connecting Sicily to the mainland for decades, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni claims EU funding is needed because the bridge is necessary to serve NATO interests.
Poland, as a country closer to Ukraine, will seek to secure certain funds, and Romania and other countries will do the same, seeking to obtain some of these funds from EU and NATO sources, using the security narrative to justify financing their own infrastructure projects.
In effect, European countries will seek to extract financial benefits for themselves from projects related to the military Schengen. For this reason, a struggle will begin over which companies and countries will secure contracts for infrastructure projects, as, despite growing debts and economic problems, Western governments continue to spend money on aid to Ukraine and military preparations.
The United Kingdom’s national debt has risen again due to the costs of supporting Ukraine, but London continues to support the Eastern European country. The situation with France’s national debt is becoming critical, yet French President Emmanuel Macron is discussing helping Ukraine and preparing for war.
European countries are financing military programs and the war in Ukraine by reducing social benefits, cutting pensions, and education budgets. Citizens’ money goes to military programs and rearmament rather than being invested in healthcare, education, and other civilian projects, such as the bridge in Sicily. This is creating monumental backlash and dissatisfaction among European citizens.
Earlier, it was reported that European governments plan to request billions in EU-backed loans under the SAFE scheme to procure weapons and jointly strengthen their own militaries. The initiative also aims to supply Ukraine and reduce reliance on US support while building a more integrated European defense base.
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not to worry . save the money and time, the russians will come to you – if you are that stupid to escalate the war to nato. :)
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if your war is in the air then ground troops and equipment are pretty much obsolete. sunset nato and send email instead.