France Prepares Troop Deployment to NATO's Eastern Flank
- 8.10.2024, 12:35
In Case of Russian Attack.
Western countries are seriously preparing to repel possible Russian aggression. France will conduct exercises next year to deploy troops to Romania in 10 days, French military officials told Politico.
In May 2025, French soldiers will take part in large-scale military exercises in Romania that will test NATO countries' ability to quickly deploy troops to the alliance's eastern flank if Vladimir Putin decides to attack one of its members.
The exercises will serve as a "strategic signal," said General Bertrand Toujouse, commander of the Army in Europe: "Before, we were playing at war. Now we have a clearly defined enemy, and we are training with the people we will fight."
According to NATO's new goals, by 2027 the French army must be ready to deploy a combat-ready division, including equipment, ammunition and supplies, within a month. A division can number from 10,000 to 25,000 people.
An important step towards this goal will be the exercises in Romania, where it is planned to transfer a brigade (3,000-5,000 people) ready to engage in combat in 10 days, representatives of the French military leadership explained. To do this, it is necessary to overcome many bureaucratic and technical difficulties. "There is still no military Schengen, troop mobility in Europe must be decisively improved," said Tujus's deputy, General Pierre-Eric Guillot.
Customs restrictions do not allow the free delivery of military equipment from one European country to another, not all trains and railways are suitable for transporting military equipment. Numerous difficulties of this kind were identified during the first attempt to redeploy French soldiers to Romania in 2022. The countries are working to eliminate these problems. In February, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands signed a “military Schengen” agreement to make it easier to transport military supplies across borders.
“We have made great progress in diversifying routes,” Guillot told reporters. He said the French military previously relied solely on trains but now moves troops and equipment by truck and riverboat, sometimes combining the two.