EU says its roads can’t handle troop movement and launches upgrade plan
Photo: European roads are unsuitable for troop movements (Getty Images)
The roads, bridges, and railway infrastructure of the European Union are unsuitable for the rapid deployment of tanks, troops, and military cargo across the continent in the event of war with Russia, according to Apostolos Tzitzikostas, head of the EU transport department.
According to him, when attempting to cross the eastern border of the EU, NATO tanks will get stuck in tunnels or cause bridges to collapse.
The European Commissioner intends to spend €17 billion on modernizing the continent's infrastructure to increase military mobility.
Tzitzikostas says that they had old bridges that needed to be modernized, narrow bridges that needed to be widened, and non-existent bridges that needed to be built
The politician believes that it will be impossible to defend the continent if European armies are unable to quickly deploy troops within the EU. He specified that today, the transfer of military equipment and troops from Western Europe to Eastern Europe takes weeks, and in some cases, months.
According to the FT, much of the existing infrastructure was not built with the need to deploy armies across European countries in mind. Trucks traveling on European roads typically weigh up to 40 tons, and tanks up to 70 tons.
The EU is currently developing a strategy that will allow troops to be transferred within hours, or days at most, in the event of an attack. To this end, there are plans to modernize 500 infrastructure facilities along four military corridors across the continent. The projects are being kept secret for security reasons.
European countries are preparing for war
Earlier, Bundeswehr Inspector General Carsten Breuer stressed that Germany should increase its number of soldiers to 460,000. This includes both reservists and active military personnel.
According to him, such a number of soldiers can be provided through either voluntary or compulsory military service.
Poland will increase the production of howitzer shells fivefold to reduce its dependence on imported weapons and strengthen its defense against the Russian threat.
