When NATO was founded in 1949, one of the main roles of the European alliance members was to resist an invasion, while the US would gather their enormous power and sent troops, equipment and supplies on the other side of the Atlantic.

Ports such as Rotterdam and Antwerp would land the men and material and then allow them to use roads and railways to head to the battles.

But the founders of NATO have never envisioned a NATO without the United States, and for decades, Europe’s military supplies was built with US support. However, the Donald Trump’s second presidency He finished US commitment to European defense and Epirus may be alone.

“Whether the US will remain or not in NATO or in Europe is a reasonable question”, said former US Army Commander in Europe Ben Hodges in Politico. “I’m worried about it. I hope we will not significantly change our commitment to Europe. Would be a terrible mistake for the United States’, He stressed himself.

But what if America leaves Europe? The unpleasant reality is that without US support, the Moving troops in Europe would be slowermore costly and would be prevented by a patchwork of logistical engagements.
In a real crisis, this would not only be ineffective but it could be fatal.

Discussions about strategic autonomy

European leaders have long been discussing strategic autonomybut they do it in a system where Washington continues to control the basic tools of military mobility – aircraft, ships, fuel lines, satellites, cyber defense …

‘We are significantly dependent on the US’said Kimberley Kruijver, a researcher at the Dutch Consulting Company TNO.

Europe lacks heavy transport aircraft, military trucks and specialized vehicles required to move tanks and armored units. ‘We can move lighter vehicles, but not the heavier’, said Kruijver.

Jannik Hartmann, a partner of the German Foreign Relations Council, confirmed that a US withdrawal – for example from Germany’s Ramstein Air Base – would leave it Europe without basic loading equipmentsuch as ramps and wagons with a flat platform.

Europe also has a few forward -looking reserves of military material, while the US has supplies throughout Germany, Poland and the Netherlands.

At the same time, the defense of the east side of Europe is based on US funded networks fuel of NATO extending across the continent. If Washington retreats, countries such as France and Germany will fight to fill the gap, Hartmann said.

Also Europe is also based on US informationin defense in cyberspace and in detection of hybrid threats. “If the US retires, real -time information and satellite surveillance will be the first to be affected.”said Simon Van Hoeymissen, a researcher at the Royal Supreme Institute of Defense based in Brussels.

US capabilities in cyber security are playing a critical role in defending military networks of Europe.

Without them, the infrastructure of Epirus would become Easy target for cyberattacks; sabotage and misinformation campaigns. Even with increased investment, Europe would find it difficult to replace these capabilities in the short term, Hartmann noted.

But even if we assume that Europe could reinforce its military means, the moving troops; tanks and fuel across the continent – and not necessarily along the traditional for NATO route from the West to the East – would be challenge.

Hodges also described the European infrastructure “One of the biggest challenges” for military mobility.

“If you place a Patriot launcher in a rail wagon, will it fit through each tunnel? If he is on a motorway, can he pass under each bridge safely? “He asked. “Can bridges in Eastern and Southern Europe withstand the weight of a 70-75 tonne chariot?”. The answer is no.

The railway network of Europe is not designed for rapid military travel large -scalewrote to Sergei Boeke, a political adviser to the European Common NATO support and activation administration in a document on European military mobility.

The weak bridges, the steep turns, the narrow tunnels and the poorly positioned signs make it difficult to move heavy armor with the rail – and the roads are no better.

Yellow bridge sorting signs, which indicate how much weight can carry a bridge; are rare in many countries. And unlike the plans of the Cold War era, most of today’s infrastructure were never intended for military use.

Preparation for war

The challenges in coordination can affect and military exercises between them EU member states, While there are concerns that the US can reduce their participation in the future.

However, efforts are being made to improve the situation. Jsec commander, Lieutenant General Kai Rohrschneider, told Politico that his administration is working with countries to evaluate and expert the “minimum business requirements” for the Transport Network.

This process includes the detection of critical infrastructure and knotunderstanding who works and supports them and the encouragement of nations to adopt a more flexible system of military mobility.

However all these plans are still based on old model of the creation of Western-East infrastructure based on the alliance with the US.

If Americans do not eventually appear, none of this – neither corridors, neither the ports, nor the meticulously designed logistical infrastructure – They will work because the ships and planes on which they are based may be thousands of miles away.

Investing largely in a US -based war strategy, which may never be implemented, Europe is in danger of preparing for the wrong conflict – a conflict where ports and beaches will remain licenses, while European tanks and tanks will be operating. However, few experts – or policy -makers – seem eager to face this possibility.

If Americans are backing back‘The (Russian) threat will only get worse’estimates Hodges.

‘If the Russians believe that the United States will not remain committedthe risk of making a terrible decision increasing‘, explained, stressing that “The problem of military mobility must be resolved – regardless of whether the US is there or not.”