The Dutch government is ‘future-proofing’ its military in an increasingly volatile world

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - The Netherlands’ defense ministry announced a major plan to "future-proof" the country’s military on Thursday, including buying more F-35 fighter jets and the return of a Dutch tank battalion as it gears up to face a world of expanding threats.

The Netherlands and other members of the NATO military alliance have been looking with new urgency at how to boost their militaries since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered a full-scale war on Europe’s eastern flank.

Gijs Tuinman, the state secretary for defense, called the white paper outlining the investments "the most ambitious military agenda in modern Dutch history."

The major investments - an extra 2.4 billion euros ($2.66 billion) per year to bring annual defense budget up to 24 billion euros ($266 billion) - come weeks before former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte takes over as NATO chief.

The funding boost should ensure the Dutch government remains above the military alliance’s goal of member states spending at least 2% of GDP on defense. Dutch military spending this year already was expected to exceed the 2% target.

"The minister and I are convinced that with this Defense White Paper we are taking the right steps toward a future-proofed military," Tuinman said, as he stood alongside Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans.

NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah welcomed the announcement.

"In a more uncertain security environment, this is an important step for the Netherlands and NATO's deterrence and defence. 23 Allies currently meet or exceed the 2% defence spending guideline and defence spending is on an upward trajectory across the Alliance," Dakhlallah said.

The plan outlined risks to Dutch and NATO security from eastern Europe to the Middle and Far East that are being addressed to different degrees by allies throughout the alliance.

"Where Russia seeks confrontation, China is undermining the international legal order in a more indirect but also more structural way," it warned.

The Netherlands phased out its own tanks more than a decade ago, although it still is part of a joint tank battalion with neighboring Germany. In addition to new tanks and more F-35 jets, the white paper calls for new anti-submarine frigates and new weapons systems for the navy.

Dick Zandzee, head of the Security & Defence Programme at the Clingendael Institute think tank in The Hague, welcomed the white paper, which was published shortly before the country’s annual budget announcement.

"A lot of the capability shortfalls, as stated by NATO, will now be solved. Of course, it will take time to implement it, but at least they are announced and the money has been made available, so that is very positive," Zandzee said in a telephone interview.

He said that one shortfall was not increasing the number of army battalions to NATO levels. NATO calls for four and the Netherlands has only two, Zandzee said.

"There is zero announcement that those two battalions or one of them will also be re-established,” he said, saying the the problem is lack of personnel rather than lack of money.

The white paper also seeks to address that, calling for major investment in recruiting and training defense personnel.

"The new threat requires us not only to be quickly deployable, but mainly also to have endurance. And that therefore requires more of everything: supplies, support and personnel," said the Dutch Defense Chief Gen. Onno Eichelsheim.