On 29 July 2025, the ERCI Board of Directors submitted a Position Paper as its response to the Targeted Consultation lodged on the Military Mobility package. This activity is in support of broad EU-NATO civil-military initiatives and is particularly related to the overall Military Mobility mission, directly supporting the Military Mobility Action Plan.
‘Military Mobility is an EU initiative to ensure swift and seamless movement of military personnel, materiel and assets – including at short notice and at large scale – within and beyond the EU. It aims to create a well-connected network, with shorter reaction times, and secure and resilient infrastructure’ (source: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/military-mobility-0_en).
The vision for Military Mobility has been in development since 2017; however, in light of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, urgent consideration has been given towards upgrading the Military Mobility Action Plan – effectively re-booting it to become Military Mobility Action Plan 2.0 (now covering the period 2022-26).
Further background on this updated Action Plan can be found here:
Importantly, the aim of this revised Plan enlarges the scope of the original Plan launched in 2017 and proposes additional measures to realising ‘a well-connected military mobility network’, with ‘shorter and more secured reaction times’.
Additionally, this Plan includes new pillars in Preparedness and Resilience as well as a new Partnership Pillar including EU-NATO cooperation to ‘ensure a stronger and more credible European Pillar in NATO pillar, especially in light of NATO’s enlargement to include Finland & Sweden.’
Against this backdrop, and concentrating on the rail mobility aspects of Military Mobility, the attached paper is the ERCI’s contribution a towards taking this debate forward and providing Thought Leadership at the highest levels, proposing 9 key areas for consideration by the European Commission. These key areas include:
- Readiness of the European Railway System for Military Mobility needs.
- Deployment of the European Railway System to provide transportation channels
- Cross-fertilisation between Civil Logistics and Military Mobility
- Facilitation of innovation – targeted at both Civil and Military environments
- Concept of ‘Dual Use’ funding (Defence Value Chain & Rail Value Chain)
- Launching of a specific Investment Programme for Rail Freight
- Concept of ‘competitive demand’ in civil/military systems (Preparedness and Readiness)
- Seamless civil-military coordination – establishing interoperable systems/protocols
- Seamless civil-military cooperation – designing collaboration agreements and patterns
ERCI Position Paper on Military Mobility
You can find the full ERCI Position Paper on Military Mobility Package here.
Press contact
Robert Hopkin, Marketing & Communication Manager, CCC Ltd, Buckingham, United Kingdom.
Contact email: robert@chestercorrieconsulting.com
Picture: © European Commission
