The Ministry of Defense plans to make no further changes to the expansion locations, including in Drenthe. The NOS comes out with that news. The message causes confusion, because Defense itself says that nothing has been decided yet and that things can still change. “The news from the NOS is not correct,” says the Defense spokesperson.
Defense wants to expand the De Haar training area near Assen by approximately three hundred hectares in the direction of Laaghalen, Laaghalerveen and Smilde to better train in companies and with drones. People now live in the place she envisions and farms are established. The plans can therefore count on considerable criticism in the area.
The cabinet is expected to make a final decision on the various expansion locations at the end of December. According to the NOS, Defense has been decided and they will broadly submit the same locations to the cabinet for which the cabinet already expressed a preference in May. These locations also include the De Haar training ground.
But according to Defense it has not yet been set in stone. “It will be broadly similar, because it is not the case that we are suddenly going to add new preferred locations. But it is not a definitive list,” the Defense spokesperson emphasizes. “We have a design and a starting point, but we are still in discussions.”
Defense says it is still investigating a lot and is currently in discussions with local and regional administrators. The views of those involved are also read and responded to so that they can be submitted to the cabinet together with the proposal.
The municipality of Midden-Drenthe is disappointed by the confusion. Because the NOS reporting refers to ‘definitive locations’, Defense has stated that the piece is incorrect and has been taken out of context. The municipality has sent an email to residents around De Haar to provide clarity.
According to the NOS, the piece is correct and the spokesperson has viewed the publication in advance. The Defense spokesperson says that he has indeed seen the document and has responded with comments.
“We are still in uncertainty. Such a message (from the NOS, ed.) is confusing,” explains the spokesperson for the municipality of Midden-Drenthe. The municipality also indicates that the list of locations for Defense may be complete, but that the cabinet’s decision has yet to be made and that nothing can therefore be finalized yet.
Defense has more proposals in addition to expanding the De Haar training area in Drenthe. She has designated locations for ammunition depots in other places in the Netherlands, an airfield for F35s in Lelystad and, for example, a mega barracks in Zeewolde. All these plans together are what they call the National Space Defense Program (NPRD).
If the cabinet adopts the plans in December, the House of Representatives must also approve. Defense wants to start implementation next year.