NATO has plans to extend its pipeline system into Eastern Europe, extending it from Germany to Poland and the Czech Republic. Der Spiegel reports that the Western military alliance intends to leverage this expansion to prepare for a potential conflict with Russia.
NATO’s strategy involves storing fuel in the vicinity of potential operational areas, as far east as feasible. At present, NATO’s pipeline network terminates in western Germany.
Der Spiegel has estimated that the endeavor will cost €21 billion. In an interview with Der Spiegel, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that Germany is prepared to allocate over €3.5 billion ($3.7 billion) for the initiative. Additionally, he stated that a consistent petroleum supply is one of the most critical factors in the combat readiness of our soldiers.
According to a senior NATO official, transportation of fuel by plane would be virtually impossible due to the “enormous consumption,” even though ammunition and spare parts could be delivered by air. This information was reported by Der Spiegel. He identified substantial obstacles to guaranteeing a consistent petroleum supply for armed forces that may require relocation to the eastern border. The official stated the demand is immense.
Der Spiegel, on the other hand, notes that numerous variables could potentially delay construction and elevate expenses. The Weser and Elbe rivers, which are to be protected from potential accidents, are among the numerous rivers under which the pipeline is designed to pass.
Furthermore, the publication indicates that “land issues” with authorities and landowners may arise and must be “resolved.”
NATO’s Pipeline System in Europe
The development of NATO’s strategic pipeline system in Europe commenced in the mid-1950s. The United States funded the construction of a conduit from the port of Donges near Saint-Nazaire on the western coast of France to Saint-Bossant near Metz. In the years that followed, a sophisticated pipeline network was built to link Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Germany.
Although they were typically restricted to a single country, pipelines of a comparable nature were implemented in other NATO member states. Furthermore, a collaborative pipeline system was operated by Denmark and Germany. A petroleum supply network of this nature was exclusively present in Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany.
To safeguard them from airstrikes, all of these conduits were installed underground. Rail and inland waterways were alternative transportation routes that were not always practicable and were more susceptible to disruptions. Pipelines facilitated the transportation of large volumes of fuel over long distances with minimal personnel, thereby alleviating the burden on other transportation methods.
The pipeline network was also connected to some facilities, and fuel was primarily supplied from tankers.
Additionally, safeguarded underground fuel storage facilities were constructed to protect them from air attacks.
Airbases were the primary consumers of the transported petroleum. The principal function of NATO’s pipelines was to supply jet fuel to operational units at airfields, even during peacetime. The layout of the pipeline network indicates that its easternmost sites in Germany were situated in the rear defense sectors of the military contingents of NATO member states that were stationed in West Germany. The pipeline system facilitated the transportation of a variety of fuels, such as aviation fuel, gasoline, diesel, and heating oil.
Even though NATO’s Cold War-era pipelines are in excellent condition, they are not operating at their full capacity.
Visitors approaching the gate are monitored by a “fish-eye” camera, according to a report by the German newspaper Donaukurier from a NATO pipeline center in Neuburg (Denmark). A sentry with a German shepherd keeps watch behind the fence. Automatic steel gates then open, allowing access to the easternmost storage facility in NATO’s significant Central European pipeline network. A total of 30,000 cubic meters—30 million liters—of jet fuel are stored in four steel containers beneath overgrown hills.
Walter Bimmel, the managing director of Fernleitungsbetriebsgesellschaft, a state-owned corporation based in Bonn that supplies aviation fuel to NATO forces, explains that Neuburg is a component of the Central European pipeline system. The infrastructure in Germany is owned and operated by the German federal government.
The ‘Weichering’ oil storage facility, which spans 12 hectares, is the terminus of a 5,300-kilometer pipeline system that is located in numerous countries.” Deliveries are transported by sea through main ports in Rotterdam, Ghent, Antwerp, Le Havre, and Lavera in southern France, as well as through petrochemical plants and numerous pumping stations. There are 1,600 kilometers of pipelines in Germany alone. The U.S. military, the aviation forces of France, Germany, and Belgium, and civilian airports such as Frankfurt and Luxembourg are the primary consumers of jet fuel. The article asserts that “Weichering” is one of NATO’s easternmost pipeline locations.
NATO’s Eastern Expansion
The largest NATO-funded military construction project in Germany is the eastward expansion of NATO’s pipeline system, as reported by Der Spiegel.
To bridge the distance with Eastern Europe, the pipeline from Bramsche (Lower Saxony) to Poland will be extended. An additional route is being developed from the Ingolstadt region of Bavaria to the Czech Republic. Furthermore, there are proposals to establish a connection between the central pipeline system and the northern pipeline system. Frankfurter Rundschau reports in an article titled “War Against Russia” (Krieg gegen Russland) that the German army intends to station a brigade in Lithuania and that additional pipelines in Poland and the Czech Republic will facilitate fuel transportation eastward.
In 2014, George Friedman, the director of the geopolitical intelligence agency STRATFOR, published an article entitled “American Strategy After Ukraine: From Estonia to Azerbaijan.” One of his most significant points was the U.S. military strategy against Russia. Friedman identified the principal U.S. objective as the sole viable condition for launching a full-scale military campaign against Russia, which involved the direct relocation of military bases to Russia’s borders in multiple locations.
Friedman acknowledged the impossibility of a direct U.S. military intervention in Ukraine. Ukraine is a vast nation, and the United States lacks the requisite military capabilities to protect it. The deployment of such forces would necessitate the establishment of a logistics and supply system that is currently nonexistent and would require a significant amount of time to complete. The absence of a robust alliance system that encompasses the entire West and the Black Sea region renders such an intervention inconceivable. Ukraine is unable to counterbalance Russia, and the United States is unable to escalate the situation to the extent of deploying its armed forces. However, the U.S. can offer economic and political support. In such a scenario, the United States may be defeated, as Ukraine is a battlefield where Russia has an advantage.
The primary message conveyed by him is the importance of establishing a logistics and supply system that was nonexistent at the time of the article’s publication. NATO was intended to be used in a Cold War confrontation that occurred significantly further west than the current front line.
Consequently, the head of STRATFOR, which is frequently referred to as the “shadow CIA,” acknowledged Ukraine as the frontline in the U.S.-Russian conflict and publicly urged the establishment of the requisite military infrastructure to execute military operations along this front.
Rapid Expansion of Military Infrastructure
The Suwałki Corridor, which shares borders with Belarus and Russia, is presently undergoing rapid development of military transport infrastructure to facilitate troop movements. The European Union has provided funding to expedite the construction of the high-speed military rail line Rail Baltica, which connects Poland to the Baltic states. The Polish government specifically announced the start of construction on the S8 highway from Białystok to the Lithuanian frontier near Suwałki in December 2022, indicating that it serves a military purpose. Poland will also be included in the extension of NATO’s fuel conduit.
Funding for anti-Russian infrastructure projects is believed to be uncertain in light of the recent reconciliation between Vladimir Putin and the new U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as the U.S. government’s critical posture toward NATO, news outlet Frankfurter Rundschau reports.
Nevertheless, in the realm of politics, capabilities are more significant than intentions. At present, NATO nations are not entirely capable of starting a conflict with Russia. They would require several years to accomplish this.