News item | 04-04-2025 | 16:00
Participation in international missions and operations must be aimed at protecting Dutch interests, such as the safety of the Netherlands and allies, protecting economic interests and combating irregular migration and cross -border crime. The cabinet reports this in a letter to the House of Representatives. The government program states that the government has set itself the goal of increasing the safety and resilience of the Netherlands through international deployment and strengthening of the armed forces.
In this parliamentary letter, the government works out this goal to concrete deployment and the government is formulating its priorities and intended military, civil and police contributions to international missions and operations. With this ambition, the government aims to effectively use the armed forces in a changing world.
The safety of the Netherlands is closely intertwined with developments in and directly around Europe. There is a large -scale war in Europe. Elsewhere in the world, superpowers are also involved in competition and confrontation. These developments have a direct impact on our country: they pose a threat to the safety and prosperity of the Netherlands and Dutch people. The Netherlands therefore continues to contribute to missions and operations to promote the international legal order and stability.
The government opts for a policy that emphasizes missions and operations that contribute specifically to Dutch interests. The focus is on less long -term, large -scale contributions far away from home. In some cases it will also be opted for targeted, small -scale contributions to achieve a goal, to send a signal or to hold a foot in the door.
The government notes that there is always the possibility that additional deployment is needed at some point, for example because of an alliance request or to respond to unforeseen developments.
This letter does not relate to the necessary and extensive efforts to strengthen the NATO-East flank and the undiminished support for Ukraine.
Reliable ally
The Netherlands remains a reliable partner within NATO, the European Union and the United Nations.
The intended commitment includes military, civil and police missions in different parts of the world that are strategically important for the Netherlands. Think of the western Balkans, Moldova, the southern Caucasus and the Middle East. In addition, the deployment concerns the Red Sea region, the Indo-Pacific and West Africa.
Lessons from evaluations
Realism remains in place. The context of missions and operations is unruly. The government emphasizes that it will carefully weigh every bet and will also take lessons from the past with you. For example, the government wants to be realistic and transparent about the character of the conflicts in the countries where missions and operations take place and about what we can and cannot achieve with a contribution. Risks are carefully weighed.