In today’s unpredictable security environment, enabling a smooth, efficient and effective movement of military personnel and assets in peacetime or in a state of crisis is paramount. A better mobility of forces within and beyond EU borders will enhance security and enable countries to respond to arising challenges faster.
Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as a major global crisis. Consequently, it has led to a number of restrictive measures in an effort to tackle the virus and accordingly, it affected Missions and Operations. This brought about a number of unprecedented challenges in the field of military mobility. In order to explore the lessons learned, identified gaps and opportunities, as well as ideas for the way forward, the experts from the field joined an online workshop. The overall intention was to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on military mobility in case of evacuating personnel from Missions and Operations, with particular focus on national operational aspects and decision-making processes referring to legal, administrative and procedural constraints.
In summary, the challenges referring to the military mobility, regarding the rapid evacuation of the sick and infected personnel with contagious disease deployed in Missions and Operations demand a joint response and it need to be addressed at the appropriate strategic level. Furthermore, the field of military mobility is also extremely vulnerable in cases of new security threats and natural disasters. These types of challenges need to be addressed in the future.