cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3462386

Archived version

…

Rotterdam’s measures are part of a wave of war preparations across the continent. The EU is drawing up a rearmament plan of up to €800bn as it tries to become more self-sufficient in defence in response to demands from US President Donald Trump, and to deter Russian aggression as Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine grinds into its fourth year.

…

There would also be amphibious military exercises several times annually.

The port has handled armaments before, with a surge during the Gulf war from 2003, but even at the height of the cold war, it did not have a dedicated quay.

…

[Boudewijn Siemons, chief executive of the Port of Rotterdam Authority] called for European countries to stockpile more essential supplies, as they do with oil. The EU mandated that members keep a 90-day strategic supply of oil after the 1973 oil shock, when Arab countries throttled production to put pressure on the west during their conflict with Israel.

“We should do the same with things like copper, lithium, graphite and a number of these critical raw materials,” Siemons said.

“We have it in oil, we don’t have it for gas yet, and, of course, we have some gasfields in Europe that can cater for that, but we should look at a wider spectrum of strategic resilience, also in pharmaceuticals and where do you build it up? And how resilient are you as a society? And that’s becoming increasingly important as the world is becoming more and more volatile.”

…