The government announced on Wednesday how it will spend the extra money on defense. The defense budget will be structurally increased by 5 billion euros from 2026. In the short term, an additional 200 million will be added annually for the armed forces. The ambition is to meet the NATO standard by 2024, which requires member states to spend at least 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense. On Wednesday, Minister Kajsa Ollongren (Defence, D66) presented the new plans to the House of Representatives on behalf of the cabinet.
Defense will invest in six F-35 fighter aircraft, among other things. There will also be armed drones. The Netherlands now has four so-called MQ-9-Reaper drones. That capacity is doubled. In addition, the drones are armed. In doing so, the cabinet is complying with a wish of the House of Representatives.
In addition, the Ministry of Defense announces that it will invest in support for so-called special operations forces, including ‘better intelligence, medical support, explosive ordnance disposal and fire support’. There will be a specialized helicopter unit for the special forces. The department will also eventually replace the C-130 transport aircraft and expand the fleet with an extra aircraft in the future.
The Defense organization is also purchasing more Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and is increasing stocks of ammunition, fuel, food and equipment, among other things. The Dutch army will cooperate more intensively with German colleagues. Germany will supply additional tanks for this. It is unclear whether the Netherlands will also do this. The plans only state that defense will provide ‘fire support capacity’. Furthermore, the army will train more together with France and Norway. The navy is intensifying its cooperation with Belgian colleagues.
collective labor agreement
On Tuesday, Defense and military unions announced that the wages of defense personnel will rise. Over the period from 2021 to 2023, wages will increase by 8.5 percent and employees will receive a one-off payment of 1,750 euros. The supporters of the trade unions will soon vote on the new collective labor agreement.
In the coalition agreement, the cabinet already promised 3 billion euros extra for defense. Until then, the Netherlands spent roughly 12 billion euros annually on the armed forces. The Netherlands has so far never met the NATO standard. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, defense was systematically cut back, resulting in a major shortage of equipment and personnel.
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