A French general told Politico about the terrible bureaucracy in the EU that is preventing a war with Russia
Europe's ability to contain Putin is limited by the EU's strong bureaucracy, according to the European edition of Politico, citing French General Bertrand Toujoux .
In an interview, the general, who recently returned to lead the French army's ground command in Europe, noted that "if the EU wants to deter potential Russian aggression," it must do a much better job of moving tanks, troops and ammunition across the continent.
“If Russia attacks a NATO country, European and American soldiers will need to get to the Alliance's eastern flank as quickly as possible.
However, current obstacles to rapid movement include the lengthy and fragmented administrative processes required to move military equipment across borders, inadequate infrastructure (including bridges and tunnels) for moving armored vehicles, and a lack of transport capabilities such as rail cars,” laments Tuju .
“We discovered the scale of administrative red tape. There is a war going on in Ukraine, but customs officers explain that you do not have the required axle tonnage and that your tanks are not allowed to cross Germany,” recalls Tuzhuz at the beginning of 2022. "It's just incredible."
In addition to the administrative burden, today's French soldiers lack the vital skills that were available to them in the recent past.
The general said the French army, which has been fighting in Afghanistan and the Sahel region of West Africa for decades, had not loaded military equipment onto trains for about 20 years.
Train station managers at SNCF, the French national railway company, were also in the dark about how this was done.
France has sent troops to Romania as part of a broader NATO effort to bolster its defenses in the east and hopes to use the regular rotation of troops and equipment to relearn the art of military transportation.
“We are going back to what we knew how to do but completely forgot,” Tuju said.
Tuju acknowledged that improving military mobility will not be easy because transport and customs regulations are largely a national prerogative.
“You are blatantly attacking state sovereignty” when deciding “rather sensitive” issues such as who can transit through the country, customs duties and what weapons can be on board,” the general said.
He wants policymakers to prioritize rail transport. "Railways remain the most practical" way to move tanks, he explained. "That's what we need to focus on."
One idea is to reduce access fees. Tujus said the French military currently has to pay €30 million a year to guarantee 24-hour access to cross-continental trains. "We hope that… we can provide access to the train without having to pay ," the general said.
France also needs to improve its transport infrastructure.
"When a Spanish or Portuguese brigade wants to move to Slovakia, there's a good chance it will go through France," Tuju said. American troops also regularly practice moving soldiers and vehicles across Europe and frequently inspect French ports.
According to the publication, in June France announced that it would join the agreement on the creation of a military transit corridor in Europe for a more rapid transfer of troops to the east, to the borders of the Russian Federation.
A French general told Politico about the EU's dreadful bureaucracy, which is hindering the fight against Russia.