Europeans set up corridor for rushing NATO troops eastward

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 Jan. 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 prioritized 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 Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said at the Military Mobility Symposium in Brussels on Jan. 30. She said the Netherlands, as a military transit country, must 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 standardize the conditions around military transports, including priority for military trains, fewer rules for military convoys and border crossings, as well as resting and refueling 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 Defense 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 catchup 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 Defense 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.”

Europe has supported Ukraine with military aid in its defense against Russia, and defense budgets have increased across the EU in response to the Russian aggression. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy Chair of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, in November labeled Poland a “dangerous enemy.”

NATO last week announced plans to conduct Steadfast Defender , the largest exercise in Europe since the Cold War, with about 90,000 troops from all NATO allies as well as Sweden taking part. The exercise aims to test NATO defense plans against a near-pear adversary, and will result in troops transiting Dutch ports and German roads and railways.

Ollongren said governments should use the NATO exercise to explain how investment in infrastructure will increase resilience and improve deterrence. “It’s also going to show to our adversaries, especially the Russian Federation, that we are ready for this,” the minister said.

The EU earlier this month said it would fund 38 additional projects to facilitate transport of troops and equipment for €807 million ($875 million), raising its support for military mobility for the 2021-2027 period to a total of 95 projects and €1.7 billion.

“The quicker we can move military forces from one part of Europe to another, via land, sea or air, the better our readiness to handle sudden challenges,” said Jiří Šedivý, chief executive of the European Defence Agency. “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has increased the urgency of this indeed.”

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——在与俄罗斯的敌对情绪日益加剧之际，德国、荷兰和波兰计划开发一条军事走廊，以便更容易在欧洲北海港口和北约东翼之间调动部队和装备。

荷兰国防部在一份声明中表示，两国于1月30日签署了一份意向声明，旨在共同开发这条走廊，并计划解决基础设施瓶颈问题，例如低矮桥梁，以及简化跨境运输弹药和其他危险品的许可审批流程。他们还将研究如何优先保障军用铁路运输，使其优于常规民用交通。

两年前俄罗斯入侵乌克兰让欧洲各国意识到，他们需要做好在欧洲大陆调动军队的准备，而这在以前并非他们优先考虑的事项。荷兰国防部长卡伊莎·奥隆格伦1月30日在布鲁塞尔举行的军事机动性研讨会上表示。她指出，荷兰作为军事过境国，必须能够迅速将装备从港口运送到内陆地区。

奥隆格伦说：“这不仅关乎需要通过桥梁和道路的重型物资，也关乎官僚主义，关乎繁文缛节。我们很清楚一点：如果危机来临，我们没有时间去处理文书工作，文书工作必须提前准备妥当。”

三国政府将研究如何规范军事运输条件，包括军用列车优先通行、简化军用车队和边境通行规则，以及调整休息和加油停靠点。荷兰负责协调欧盟永久结构性合作（PESCO）下的军事机动项目。

德国国防部国务秘书西姆特耶·默勒在布鲁塞尔表示，冷战时期，德国作为前线国家，依靠军事机动性作战。随着边界东移，柏林也需要向盟友提供同样的机动能力。她指出，欧洲需要向俄罗斯展示其通过港口、公路和铁路处理军事人员和物资的能力。

北约防务政策与能力理事会负责人萨拉·塔里表示，冷战结束后，欧洲各国经历了数十年的投资不足，如今正努力追赶。她指出，德国、波兰和荷兰之间的协议“绝对是一个很好的典范，我们需要更多类似的协议来应对挑战。”

欧洲三大港口分别是荷兰的鹿特丹港、比利时的安特卫普港和德国的汉堡港，它们通过水路以及广泛的公路和铁路网络与内陆地区相连。

“我们在欧洲前沿部署了一些部队，但绝大多数部队仍然驻扎在美国本土，”美国国防部驻欧洲代表雷切尔·埃勒胡斯在机动性论坛上表示。“因此，我们将依赖于跨大西洋的运输能力以及在欧洲快速接收物资的能力。”

欧洲向乌克兰提供军事援助，帮助其抵御俄罗斯的侵略，欧盟各国也纷纷增加国防预算以应对俄罗斯的侵略行为。俄罗斯前总统、现任俄罗斯联邦安全会议副主席德米特里·梅德韦杰夫在11月将波兰称为“危险的敌人”。

北约上周宣布计划举行“坚定捍卫者”演习，这是冷战以来欧洲规模最大的联合军演，约有来自所有北约盟国以及瑞典的9万名士兵参加。此次演习旨在检验北约针对近乎势均力敌的对手的防御计划，演习期间部队将途经荷兰港口以及德国的公路和铁路。

奥隆格伦表示，各国政府应利用北约演习来阐明基础设施投资将如何增强韧性并提升威慑力。“这也将向我们的对手，特别是俄罗斯联邦，表明我们已经做好了准备，”这位部长说道。

欧盟本月早些时候表示，将为 38 个额外的项目提供 8.07 亿欧元（8.75 亿美元）的资金，以便利部队和装备的运输，使其在 2021-2027 年期间对军事机动性的支持项目总数达到 95 个，总金额达到 17 亿欧元。

欧洲防务局首席执行官伊日·谢迪维表示：“我们越能通过陆路、海路或空路将军事力量从欧洲的一个地区调往另一个地区，就越能更好地应对突发挑战。俄罗斯对乌克兰的侵略确实加剧了这一问题的紧迫性。”

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。