Dutch defense to build sovereign military cloud computing to reduce U.S. tech dependence
The Ministry of Defense is teaming up with Dutch firms KPN and Thales to create a dedicated cloud for handling and storing classified state information. The goal is a sovereign, military-controlled cloud that keeps sensitive data independent of foreign providers. Earlier, the Tweede Kamer urged that by 2029, a minimum of 30 percent of government cloud services should be supplied by Dutch or European providers.
A key aim of the project is to decrease reliance on large U.S. tech companies, including Microsoft Azure, Amazon's AWS, and Google Cloud, an issue that has sparked political discussions in the past.
As the Dutch military relies more on digital systems and advanced technology, it aims to keep sensitive data secure and under domestic control, rather than relying on foreign commercial cloud providers. Techzine has reported that the cloud will run from a dedicated data center, giving the Netherlands full control over classified information and guaranteeing data sovereignty.
KPN, a leading Dutch telecom and IT services company, and Thales, an international firm specializing in security and defense IT, are developing the cloud together. They were chosen for their expertise and to ensure that the cloud is built and managed primarily within the Netherlands.
Today, the State Secretary for Defense, Derk Boswijk, formally presented the plans to the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, detailing the partnership and its goals. As part of the rollout, pilot projects will likely test two military applications in the new cloud environment.
A previous agreement between Defense, KPN, and Thales, signed in June 2025, including at the Paris Air Show, aimed to create a sovereign cloud service for the military.
“Technological developments in areas such as AI, Cloud, Cyber, and autonomous weapons systems offer Defense new opportunities to become more effective, flexible, secure, and scalable,” wrote VVD MP Ruben Brekelmans last September when he was the caretaker defense minister.
“However, they also introduce new threats from both state and non-state actors,” he continued. Technological developments offer opportunities to improve situational awareness, decision-making, and the ability for domestic and international military organizations to work more closely together. At the same time, “digital resilience,” cybersecurity, societal continuity, business operations “and digital sovereignty are important priorities.”
