French Brigadier General Fabrice Feola, commander of France's Center for Operations and Transport Support, responsible for organizing the shipment of weapons and military equipment, notes that they are still facing bureaucratic obstacles that hinder the rapid redeployment of troops and equipment to Eastern Europe.
Despite earlier recognition within the EU of the need to remove barriers slowing military mobility, efforts to streamline transportation processes have run into difficulties in achieving progress, according to French officials, as reported by Defense News.
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For example, although a maximum limit of five days was set for obtaining cross-border permits for military convoys, General Feola says the process now takes more like several tens of days.
This is a troubling sign that reflects how slowly NATO and Europe are adapting to today's security challenges. Alongside bureaucracy, there are also infrastructure issues bridges and tunnels in poor condition or unable to handle heavy loads. EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas previously estimated that solving these problems would require around 17 billion euros.
Feola stresses that Europe's transport network must be upgraded to the level it had during the Cold War, so it can handle large-scale troop and equipment movements if needed. This network is also vital for Ukraine, as it enables the transport of weapons and military hardware destined for the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
To grasp the scale of the challenge, Feola says that in 2021 France organized fewer than five international military trains, while by 2024 that number had risen to around 150 a thirtyfold increase in the need for military logistics.
He also highlights difficulties in determining optimal routes considerable time is spent verifying whether a train carrying specific equipment can safely pass along certain lines. To address this, France is developing a route map system to identify the fastest and most efficient transport options for each military shipment.
Earlier, Defense Express reported on how and why the Luftwaffe landed an 80-ton cargo aircraft on a beach,and what new possibilities that demonstrated.
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