From the military point of view, Rail Baltica tracks are the priority, not beautiful stations - ex-commander of US forces in Europe

  • 2024-11-04
  • LETA/TBT Staff

RIGA - Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, former commander of the US armed forces in Europe, is puzzled why the Rail Baltica tracks, which are the most important part of the project from the military point of view, are still not even partially built, as they would allow NATO forces to arrive in the Baltic States as quickly as possible if needed.

"You should be aware of the need to hurry up. I am really surprised that Rail Baltica is still not finished. Part of this project could have been completed already, and from the military point of view, the important part is the tracks themselves - build them first", Hodges said.

"After that, we can worry about beautiful railway stations, but that is not a priority. The priority is to ensure that NATO forces can move as quickly as possible, arrive as quickly as possible in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Deal with that first," he urged.

The former commander of US forces in Europe noted that the logistics situation in Europe has improved in recent years, but "moving forces in a short time, for example from Bavaria to Lithuania, is still a challenge".

Hodges described European countries' readiness to respond to potential challenges as a journey on which we are not yet even close to the destination.

"Of course, a lot has been done compared to two or four years ago. But we still don't have enough ammunition, we still don't have enough air defense and it still takes too long to move forces from one place to another. These are all important factors," Hodges told LETA on the sidelines of the security and foreign policy forum Riga Conference.

Training must continue to figure out what else should be improved, he said. 

"Every Latvian soldier needs to know where he has must go according to the war plans. We have finally received planning approval and Latvia will soon have detailed plans for its part in NATO's common defense. Once these are received, these actions will have to be polished," the retired general said.

Asked whether people in Latvia could feel safer now than two years ago, Hodges pointed out that the threat of a military invasion is always there, two years ago people simply did not believe that. 

"I think you can feel safer now. First of all, NATO has improved its planning, the command structure has been strengthened considerably, Finland and Sweden are now in the alliance, the Canadian-led battle group is here on standby. Latvia itself has good, hard-working officers and your Ministry of Defense has taken all the right steps," said Hodges.

He stressed that since Finland and Sweden joined NATO, it has become much easier to achieve security in the Baltic Sea and Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have friendly waters behind them.

"Thanks to Ukraine, the Russian forces have been seriously damaged. However, if the US turned its back on Europe and Europe itself failed to stand united, Russia could rebuild in three or four years. We need to keep our foot on their neck", said Hodges.