If it is up to the Ministry of Defense, the new De Haar training ground will not only be expanded, but also redesigned. In addition, the site may also become more accessible to the environment. “We think it is increasingly important to perform multifunctional use of space,” says Lieutenant Colonel Egge Jan de Jonge of Defense.
De Haar training ground is one of the few training grounds in the Netherlands where a fence is around. Those who want to walk a piece with the dog or want to cycle, can pass the Haar practice grounds. The fence is almost always open, yet the site is often abandoned.
The students from School Noord, the Defense Training Center in Assen, now mainly use the training ground. They will eventually leave for a new location at the barracks in Havelte. The new, larger training ground will soon be used mainly by 13 infantry battalion of 11 airmobile brigade.
“They have indicated several times that they would like to see a broader adjustment of the design of the site, especially if we make it bigger now. We will take that with us so that there will soon also be a training grounds that can actually be used.”
According to De Jonge, for example, large lawns are not useful for the Airmobile Brigade to practice. The troops are otherwise immediately recognized from the air and also from far away. “They mainly look for places where they can practice where they can also approach unseen. That is about much more smaller plots with forest strips, but also small practice villages where they can practice their performance better.”