US army chief calls for EU military transport, border rules

BRUSSELS – The U.S. Army’s commander in Europe is urging European nations to agree on special transport and border rules so that NATO forces can be quickly moved to deter potential aggressors like Russia.

Lt. General Ben Hodges said Monday “the alliance needs to be able to move as quick, or quicker, than Russian Federation forces if we want our deterrent capability to be effective.”

Hodges is calling for a “military Schengen,” a reference to Europe’s 26-nation Schengen area where people and goods can cross borders without ID checks.

He said NATO needs to know how it can “get that speed within existing peace-time rules for movement on highways, rail and so on” for its deterrent to be effective

Hodges said parliamentary approval would be needed for new rules to work.