Dutch Army commander warns of potential war with Russia

Both the Dutch military and society as a whole need to brace themselves for the possibility of a war with Russia, said Lieutenant-General Martin Wijnen, the departing Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army. "Our society should be preparing themselves for this," he told the Telegraaf in an interview published on Thursday.

Wijnen said that the Netherlands should follow the examples set by countries like Sweden, Finland, the Baltic nations. Those countries which border Russia, or are close to it, are better prepared for the outbreak of war.

"The Netherlands needs to learn that the entire society needs to be prepared for when things go wrong," he told the newspaper. For civilians, that means having food and drinking water in stock for times of emergency. "The Netherlands should not think our safety is guaranteed because we are 1,500 kilometers away."

Wijnen warned that Russia keeps getting stronger, and a strong army is needed as a deterrent. "There is only one language that Russia understands, and that is one of a strong military," he said. It is, therefore, important that the personnel shortage at the military is fixed.

Wijnen expects a lot from the voluntary service year for young people, which was implemented after a similar program in Sweden. About 600 young people took part in that, but Wijnen hopes to attract two to three thousand young people every year, a third of whom will likely choose a career in the army, and a third will become a reservist.

In the interview, he referred to an "outer shell shell of 18-year-olds," with which the professional army can be supplemented, and army losses can be absorbed.

Wijnen is leaving his military role to become the Director-General of Rijkswaterstaat, the infrastructure agency that is part of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. He begins the new position on January 1.