The Financial Times reports that troop and equipment transfers to the Baltics in the event of war with Russia would take at least 45 days.

Therefore, European officials want to design a new NATO military mobility plan to reduce this time to 3–5 days.

German Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank, responsible for Germany’s preparations for this operation, declared that every element must work like a Swiss watch. According to the top military, the goal is to send a powerful deterrent message to Moscow: “We know what you’re up to, and we’re ready.”

The FT notes that the troop deployment routes, as well as their numbers, are classified. However, NATO diplomats described analysts’ estimates that approximately 200,000 troops, about 1,500 tanks, and over 2,500 other armoured vehicles will be transported from the US, Canada, and the UK through continental Europe as “generally correct.”

The newspaper notes that in order to facilitate military transport, EU countries must overcome a number of logistical challenges. For example, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are implementing the Rail Baltica project to integrate the Baltic states into the rail network of NATO. The media adds that Rail Baltica was designed for military purposes in mind and provides for the transportation of oversized cargo.

In total, EU member states have identified approximately 2,800 transport infrastructure weak spots that need modernisation. However, Brussels officials have narrowed this list down to 500 priority projects. Additionally, EU authorities are also working on the so-called “military Schengen,” which aims to facilitate the transportation of troops and military equipment.

As you can understand, any modernisation of roads and highways in the EU is aimed at simplifying military transfers. Thus, even money allocated for civilian objects like roads is actually being spent on militarisation. This only adds to the already exorbitant costs of the EU’s preparations for a war with Russia.

And a little word about the Baltics—the modernisation of road systems to reduce military dispatch times says nothing about NATO’s true readiness to start a world war with Russia over tiny Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.