NATO plans to transport wounded soldiers on a large scale in case of war with Russia

Alexander Zollfrank. photo: Getty Images

The Atlantic Alliance plans to coordinate the transport of a large number of wounded soldiers away from the front line in the event of a possible war with Russia.

Source: Lieutenant General, Commander of the NATO Logistics Command Alexander Zollfrank in an interview with Reuters, “European Truth”

Details: The future situation for medical evacuation in the context of a possible war with the Russian Federation will be different from the experience of allies in Afghanistan and Iraq, said Zollfrank.

Notice:

In a conflict with Russia, Western militaries would likely face a much larger battlefield, more casualties and at least a temporary lack of air advantage near the front line, a German general said.

“The challenge is to provide quality medical care quickly, in the worst case, to a large number of injured people,” said Zollfrank. He did not specify how many wounded NATO could count.

In the event of a conflict with Russia, wounded soldiers will have to be transported over a longer distance. Russian air defenses and aircraft threaten medical evacuation flights in a way that insurgencies in Afghanistan or Iraq could not, possibly creating the need for hospital trains.

“For planning purposes, all options for transporting large numbers of injured people to medical facilities must be considered, including trains, but possibly buses as well,” said Zollfrank.

Another hurdle to overcome is the differences in medical legislation between countries. The solution to this problem could be a “military medical Schengen”, similar to the Schengen zone, which allows free movement within most of the European Union.

The medical evacuation plan is part of a much wider NATO effort to review and strengthen its ability to defend against a possible Russian attack.

What comes first: The head of the Norwegian Armed Forces, General Eirik Kristoffersen, expressed his belief that NATO has a “window of opportunity” to prepare for a possible conflict with Russia reduced to two or three years.

According to Polish President Andrzej Duda, Russia may soon have such a military capability that it can attack NATO already in 2026-27.