Paris: Germany, the Netherlands and Poland plan to develop a military corridor that would make it easier to move troops and equipment between Europe’s North Sea ports and NATO’s eastern flank, at a time of growing hostility with Russia.
The countries signed a declaration of intent on January 30 to develop the corridor, with plans to tackle infrastructure choke points, such as low bridges, and slash bureaucracy around permits for cross-border transport of ammunitions and other dangerous goods, the Dutch Ministry of Defence said in a statement. They’ll also study how military rail transports can be prioritised over routine civilian traffic.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago made European countries realize they need to be prepared to move their military across the continent, something that previously hadn’t been high on the agenda, Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren said at the Military Mobility Symposium in Brussels on January 30. She said the Netherlands, as a military transit country, must be able to quickly move equipment from its ports to the hinterland.
“It’s about heavy material that has to pass through on bridges and roads, but it’s also about bureaucracy, it’s also about red tape,” Ollongren said. “We know one thing for sure: If the crisis comes, we are not going to have the time to do our paperwork, the paperwork has to be ready.”
The three governments will study how to standardise the conditions around military transports, including priority for military trains, fewer rules for military convoys and border crossings, as well as resting and refuelling stops. The Netherlands coordinates the military mobility project of the EU Permanent Structured Cooperation, or PESCO.
Germany relied on military mobility as a frontline nation during the Cold War, and as the borders have moved east, Berlin needs to offer the same to allies, German State Secretary of Defence Siemtje Möller said in Brussels. Europe needs to demonstrate to Russia its ability to process military personnel and goods via its ports, roads and rail, she said.
European countries are playing catch-up after decades of underinvestment following the end of the Cold War, said Sarah Tarry, head of the NATO Defence Policy and Capabilities Directorate. She said the agreement between Germany, Poland and the Netherlands “is absolutely a great model, and we need to do more like this to address the challenges.”
Europe’s three largest ports are Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Antwerp in Belgium and Hamburg in Germany, connected to inland destinations by waterways and an extensive network of roads and railway tracks.
“We have forces that are forward stationed in Europe, but then the vast majority of our forces are still in the United States,” Secretary of Defence Representative in Europe Rachel Ellehuus said at the mobility forum. “So we’d be relying on that throughput across the Atlantic and that ability to be quickly received in Europe.”
