Commander of US forces in Europe Lieutenant General Ben Hodges has urged European countries to agree on a special transport and border crossing rules for the sake of simplicity the movement of NATO forces. Reported by the Associated Press.
According to the General, it is necessary to deter NATO countries potential aggressors such as Russia. “[Power] of the Alliance must be able to move faster than the forces of the Russian Federation, if we want our capability for deterrence has been effective,” said Hodges.
He said that the NATO command wants to know how it can “to obtain this rate in the framework of the existing peace of the rules for movement on highways, railroads and so forth.”
To solve the General has proposed the creation of a “military Schengen” by analogy with the Schengen area which includes 26 European countries and within which people and goods can cross borders without inspection.
On 14 September it was reported that Washington is probably used base Ramstein in Germany to supply weapons to Syrian rebels. However, the United States asked for permission to Berlin. According to German law, for transportation of military weapons through the territory of Germany must first obtain permission. The Ministry of economy of Germany stated that in 2010 the office had not issued any permits to transport weapons through Ramstein.