Defense stays with it: Johan Willem Friso barracks in Assen closes

The Johan Willem Friso barracks in Assen will close. State Secretary Christophe van der Maat (VVD) of Defense is sticking to his plan. He informed the House of Representatives this afternoon on behalf of the cabinet.

The intention to close the barracks in Assen had already been announced. The Johan Willem Friso barracks is one of the smaller Defense barracks and was built in 1892. In the eyes of the State Secretary, this makes the location unattractive to continue investing. Because new and sustainable buildings are preferred over the renovation and maintenance of old complexes.

The employment of the Johan Willem Friso barracks has to move to the Johannes Post barracks in Havelte. “At the moment, the barracks in Havelte appear to be a suitable concentration location,” Van der Maat wrote to the House of Representatives. Defense wants an administrative agreement with the province about the details. The closure of the barracks in Assen is a process that can take up to ten years. The building is held; there are no plans with it.

Furthermore, the plan is to house the 11 Air Mobile Brigade completely in Schaarsbergen and to build a new barracks for the Commando Corps in the Roosendaal/Rucphen region. A new barracks for support units is also being considered.

Much Defense property is old and inefficient. There is a lot of deferred maintenance. Defense previously indicated that it wants to reduce the costs of real estate by 30 to 40 percent. Defense has almost 10,000 buildings spread over 350 locations. Van der Maat wants to cluster units and activities. He also wants to be an attractive employer. Defense is looking for a lot of personnel. “The aim is to transfer our staff less often and less far during their career.”

Support among the staff is important, according to the minister. The previous cabinet had to deal with a lot of resistance to a move of the marine barracks from Doorn to Vlissingen. Marines left the corps out of discontent. The decision was therefore eventually reversed.

The State Secretary will present his real estate plan around the summer. Then it becomes more clear how things are going with the other Defense locations. He emphasizes that no decisions have yet been taken and that it will be a “phased and complex process”.

The province, the municipality of Assen, MPs and entrepreneurs have already reacted disapprovingly to the plans to close the barracks in Assen. They fear that many jobs will be lost, which is bad for the economy in Drenthe. The ChristenUnie previously indicated that it did not feel like closing. The enthusiasm of the VVD – the party of the State Secretary for Defense – was not very great either.

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