Senior NATO generals have warned that the alliance must brace for Russian attacks on targets across Europe, including Germany, if the Kremlin goes to war.
In an interview with Britain’s The Times, Lt. Gen. Alexander Sollfrank, commander of NATO’s military logistics center in southwest Germany, also called on allies to tackle the “red tape” that hinders the movement of troops and equipment and makes it difficult for countries to use each other’s weapons and other equipment in times of crisis.
While the vast majority of Russian military resources and attention are stuck in Ukraine, there is deep concern about possible next steps. NATO leaders suggest the alliance has an opportunity that could last as little as three years to consolidate its defenses against a possible Russian offensive on alliance territory.
Sollfrank and other generals from Germany, the United States and the Netherlands worry that in this scenario, the Russians would attack deep behind the front lines in an attempt to destroy the civilian and military infrastructure needed to sustain the war effort.
Germany would likely be singled out as a central “turntable” for NATO’s reinforcement and supply lines in Europe, they said. Potential targets range from munitions factories and command centers to power plants, bridges and railways.
These warnings are based in part on the war in Ukraine, where Russia has launched heavy air and missile strikes far from the battle lines, and the Ukrainians have also pushed out ammunition dumps, command posts and fuel depots hundreds of kilometers from Russian-occupied territory.
Today, deterring invasion is not just a matter of military might, but the ability to get it where it needs to be within days, and to continue to do so during a war that could drag on for months or even years.
Over the weekend, Bild reported that the German armed forces had begun planning for this possibility, including Russian cyberattacks and sabotage against German targets. It is said to envisage the deployment of troops to defend critical points in the logistics network.
The prospect of Russian missile strikes further complicates matters. The obvious answer is to raise an air and missile defense shield over particularly important places.
However, these systems can be overwhelmed by sheer number of attacks or circumvented using tools such as sabotage, jamming and cyber warfare.
Another significant headache for NATO planners is the huge tangle of regulations that restrict the exchange and transport of military equipment, not only between countries but also between different parts of Germany. Cross-border exercises often involve dizzying amounts of paperwork that would cost critical time in a military crisis.
For several years, alliance leaders have hoped to create a military equivalent to the Schengen area, which allows for largely unhindered visa-free travel between participating countries.
Talks are now underway to create a series of “military corridors” across Europe, and the results could be announced before the next NATO summit in Washington in July, Klix.ba reports.
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