Currently, there is no threat in Latvia that necessitates the dismantling of railway tracks on the eastern border, but in any case, limiting railway communication is not a 'silver bullet' against a potential aggressor, said the parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of Defense (MoD) Liene Gatere during a meeting of the Saeima's subcommittee on internal security on Tuesday.
The subcommittee invited representatives from several stakeholders to discuss the need for dismantling railway tracks on the eastern border. The first part of the meeting was open, while the rest was closed.
In the open part of the meeting, Gatere pointed out that the goal of the Ministry of Defense in creating the Baltic defense line and implementing the mobility counteraction plan is to defeat and stop a potential enemy at the border or as close to the border as possible.
Despite the current emergence of the topic of dismantling railway tracks in the public space, Gatere noted that tracks are just one of the elements, as potential threats and, accordingly, counter-mobility measures can exist in the air, on land, at sea, and in cyberspace. "It is clear that tracks are not the main element, they are not a panacea, they are not a silver bullet, but they are one of the elements," the official emphasized.
Mechanisms have already been prepared in the mobility counteraction plan through which security forces can deactivate railway tracks in case of a corresponding threat, Gatere reported. "In the event of a specific threat, we are ready and advocate for deactivating individual sections of the tracks," the AM official emphasized, adding that this is the vision of the Ministry of Defense, but limiting railway movement should be a joint decision of the government.
At the subcommittee meeting, Colonel Andris Rieksts of the Joint Staff of the National Armed Forces (NAF) pointed out that the NAF evaluates mobility corridors based on major highways, and the issue of railways was also on the agenda.
"The NAF has prepared plans in case something happens right now. The NAF has considered various scenarios. The worst-case scenario is the moment of surprise, because then there is little time. By assessing the measures that can be taken on the railway, we gain time when that railway is not there," Rieksts emphasized.
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