The Netherlands and Germany are taking a new step in merging their armed forces. The 13 Light Brigade in Oirschot will be absorbed into the German 10th Panzer Division on Thursday. This means that the vast majority of the combat units of the Dutch army will fall under German command.
Both countries have been working together within NATO for decades. It led to the establishment of the German-Dutch army corps in 1995, which has its headquarters in Münster. In the years that followed, cooperation between the two army grew. The 11 Airmobile Brigade has been part of the Division Schnelle Kräfte since 2014 and two years later the 43 Mechanized Brigade from Havelte became part of the 1st German Armored Division.
control
The trend towards amalgamation has been accelerated by the war in Ukraine. Further integration should strengthen the armed forces of both countries. We train and practice together. It should also lead to joint procurement of equipment. That is cheaper, but should also ensure that there are far fewer different weapon systems, making cooperation easier.
The fact that the units of the army are absorbed into the German divisions does not mean that control is handed over. The Netherlands will continue to decide on the deployment of its military personnel. There is strong political support for the joining of forces. Not all parts of the army go together with the Germans, by the way. In this way, the Corps Command Troops will continue to operate independently.
Unit flag
The last step in the integration will be marked on Thursday by the symbolic transfer of the unit flag of the brigade from Oirschot. Minister Kajsa Ollongren and her German colleague Boris Pistorius are present at that ceremony in Veitshöchheim (home of the 10th Panzer Division).