NATO allies in Europe are developing “multiple land corridors” for U.S. troops and armored vehicles in the event of a major European war with Russia, The Telegraph reported on June 4.
It comes amid warnings from the Alliance’s top leaders that Western governments must prepare themselves for a conflict with Russia in the next two decades, the article said.
Logistical routes have become a key priority since NATO leaders agreed to prepare 300,000 troops to be kept in a state of high readiness to defend the alliance at a 2023 Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, The Telegraph said.
The American forces are planned to disembark at one of five ports and proceed to the front along pre-planned logistical routes, including trains. Five main corridors are currently known. These are the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Norway.
Plans are also being drawn up to transport troops via ports in the Balkans, as well as through Norway, Sweden and Finland.
In these corridors, national militaries will not be restricted by local regulations and will be free to transport consignments without normal restrictions.
NATO also takes into account the experience of Ukraine, when Russian troops launch massive missile attacks on ports and other logistics bases.
Possible Russian attack on NATO
The possibility of Russia attacking Europe by late 2024 or early 2025 has been highlighted by the German publication Bild, citing intelligence sources. This concern arises from a predicted leadership vacuum in the United States during that period, potentially delaying American aid to European allies.
The civilian population in the West should prepare for a “total war” with Russia, NATO’s Military Committee chair, Admiral Rob Bauer, said.
Europe is once again “facing a military threat that has not been seen in 30 years,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said, as he warned of the possibility of a Russian attack within five to eight years.
The possibility that Russia could start a war against NATO next year is extremely low, Lithuania’s Commander-in-Chief, Valdemaras Rupšys, said at the same time.
Russia does not want a direct military conflict with the United States and NATO and will continue asymmetric activities which, according to its estimates, will not cross the threshold of a military conflict on a global scale, American intelligence reported in March.
At the same time, German intelligence says that Russia is preparing for a large-scale conflict with NATO and could attack at least part of the Alliance’s territory as early as 2026.
In the event of an attack by Russia, Estonia would be able to repel its attack and win the war, the head of the Estonian Defense Forces, General Martin Herem, said on April 18.
NATO planners consider a direct Russian invasion of NATO member states unlikely in the near future, the WSJ wrote on April 30.
