(by Franco Iacch) United States and Germany will host the two new NATO commands that will be activated in case of war with Russia. This is what emerges from Brussels where a meeting of NATO defense ministers is under way. With the two new headquarters, as established last November, the Alliance-managed commands go from seven to nine. During the Cold War, NATO ran 33 headquarters with a permanent staff of 22 thousand units. In 2010 and 2011, the number of commands has been reduced to 13 and then to seven with staff resized to 13.800 units. Currently the Nato personnel employed in the seven commands is of 6800 unit.
The two new commands of NATO
Atlantic Command (Usa)
The Atlantic Command should rise in Norfolk, Virginia. The Atlantic Command will have the task of tracking down Russian submarines and protecting shipping routes across the ocean between North America and Europe. Daily maritime safety operations will continue to be managed by the Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) in Northwood, UK. The Atlantic Command will be structured as a national office run by the Americans until it is activated by NATO in case of war. Only then will the headquarters be dependent on the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.
During the Cold War exercises were held that could transfer up to fifty thousand US troops across the Atlantic in just a few hours.
Joint Support and Enabling Command (Germany)
The Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC) will be established in Germany in North Rhine-Westphalia (there were no other candidates to host the new headquarters). Formerly known as the Rear Area Operational Command, JSEC will be responsible for logistics and will ensure a rapid shift of NATO forces in the event of an invasion of Russia.
For NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg the new structures do not represent a return to posture of the Cold War.
"These changes are necessary for an alliance that has worked for years with Russia. We have seen, especially since the 2014 with the illegal annexation of Crimea and the destabilization of Eastern Ukraine, a more assertive Russia. We are responding in a defensive and proportional way ".
The officiality on the headquarters of the new commands (by now certain, there were no other candidates) will come close to the next NATO summit scheduled for Brussels in July (11-12).
Who will rebuild the railway capacity of Germany?
The Logistic Command (JSEC) that will be built in Germany will be responsible for logistics and will ensure a rapid shift of NATO forces in case of invasion of Russia. However, Berlin will have to invest heavily to improve the entire road system and missile defense. Only in this way will it be able to achieve its goal of 2%. In the event of a crisis, Germany would have a crucial role. Berlin has shown great leadership in Europe and in the world, as in an attempt to end the crisis in eastern Ukraine. However, Europe's most powerful economy must do more to strengthen security, especially because of its importance as a transit area. There is not enough railway capacity for the American, German, Polish and British forces or for the rapid response force of NATO. Berlin could therefore guarantee rail support as part of its commitment to increasing military spending, currently at the XNXX per cent of Gross Domestic Product. A further investment by Germany in short and long range missiles could help, considering the crucial role that all German transport hubs would play in the event of a conflict. During the Cold War, the German Deutsche Bahn kept thousands of railway wagons always available for the transport of the powerful Bundeswehr that was supposed to stem the advance of the armored forces of the Soviet Union, awaiting US reinforcements. These capacities no longer exist. Of the 1,2 Leopard tanks of all versions, today there are 2400. However only 225 Leopard can be considered operational. The heavy German divisions had been specifically designed for clashes in the plains of northern Germany.
Returning to Europe: the logistical difficulties
The complete US armored brigade sent to Europe is a message to the world about the ability of the United States to bolster the front lines. However, the logistical difficulties encountered in the initial phases have been remarkable. The Pentagon pays for the inexperience of the personnel to confront themselves in a context that had almost completely abandoned after the end of the cold war. The M1A2 version of the US main tank reaches a weight of 62 tons. Weight that could increase in the presence of additional survival kits. European infrastructures, most of them, are not able to support this weight by limiting transit in well-identified and well-known traits, certainly also to a hostile faction. It is a problem that concerns the entire European road system, with particular reference to the connections with the NATO countries that were part of the former Soviet Union. The Pentagon lacks sufficiently detailed information on infrastructure in areas that were once part of the Soviet bloc, now in NATO. The US military lacks points of reference in Poland, Romania, Hungary and especially in the Baltic States. Paradoxically, at the entry into the NATO of the new member countries, no updated detection of the road network for military purposes is followed. From the United States European Command they sense the need for more intelligence coverage for Russian troops' speed of recognition.
No progress on the Schengen military zone
This is a free military transit zone modeled on the 1996 Schengen Convention which would allow the opening of borders between the signatory countries. A military zone of Schengen in Europe would allow the military force to move freely in the European theater. In addition to improving awareness in recognizing an emerging crisis and increasing the decision-making aspect on how to deal with it, the speed of reaction remains fundamental. The military maneuvers carried out to date have underlined the problems with the freedom of movement of the allied forces from all over Europe to the Black Sea region. Currently, the movement of troops in Europe must meet specific legal requirements that vary from state to state. The Ministries of Defense are not responsible for the borders and each time specific authorizations are needed. Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have already issued internal laws. Other countries are still reluctant. The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, supports the Schengen military zone.
The Schengen Convention defines the conditions of application and guarantees concerning the implementation of free movement in the European Union. Based on the enhanced cooperation of the 26 signatory countries, Europeans can travel without a passport, thanks to the opening of the borders.
source The newspaper