US General: Russia can deploy its troops much faster than NATO
In an interview with the BBC, General Ben Hodges, the commander of U.S. land forces in Europe claimed that NATO has to simplify the mechanism of relocating the military units between the countries, to be able to respond quickly to potential threats from the Russian Federation.
"Twenty thousand armed people may appear on the borders of NATO, or at the borders of Georgia, or Ukraine. This is a serious concern. The Russians have what we call freedom of movement on the interior lines. They can move anywhere inside of Russia, as fast as they want,” Hodges said.
The General asserted that NATO should have the same speed within the alliance and that this requires a kind of "military Schengen zone,” allowing troops to move across countries.
"British or American units should be able to move to any spot in NATO within three days. We absolutely do not have that right now. This is a necessary part of the deterrence program,” Hodges noted.