{"id":180834,"date":"2025-02-28T20:43:57","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T10:43:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=60280"},"modified":"2025-02-28T20:43:57","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T10:43:57","slug":"create-a-functional-governance-system-for-military-civilian-transport-coordination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=180834","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Create a functional governance system for military-civilian transport coordination\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Europe is thinking hard about how to deal with looming security threats. Part of the necessary measures to be taken concern military transport, where rail is bound to play a crucial role. The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) shared its views on what Europe ought to do to use rail to its full potential.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>With the many countries scattered around the continent, lots of interstate coordination is necessary to streamline transport. \u201cImproved understanding and cooperation at all levels will contribute to facilitating operation planning and execution\u201d, CER says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe EU and its member states should strive to streamline administrative procedures in order to accelerate the needed regulatory clearances to enable the swift, large scale, cross-border movements of military assets and convoys, as reiterated in the EU\u2019s Military Mobility Action plans\u201d, CER continues. \u201cIn this context it may be necessary to consider the procedures for extraordinary shipments, establishing priorities as appropriate for military convoys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crisis coordination<\/h2>\n

CER has some ideas of its own on how to proceed. \u201cThere is a need to create a functional governance system (at the EU and Member State level, as well as with relevant institutions such as NATO) to enable military and civilian regular coordination and cooperation, involving the representatives of the railway system but also other critical modes (port infrastructures and sidings). A steering structure could prove to be essential for coordinating actions particularly during a crisis\u201d, the association says.<\/p>\n

Moreover, CER highlights the need for increased security resilience in the rail sector. As such, Europe should implement a strategy to protect \u201ccritical railway infrastructure and its support systems from direct actions (from hybrid attacks including cyber attacks) that could damage or impede operations and enhance the cyber security of the railways system.\u201d By extension, Europe should ensure that critical operations continue through redundant systems and that critical infrastructure can be quickly restored in the event of a crisis.<\/p>\n