The Netherlands and Belgium are now working together to protect the Benelux air space. Luxembourg is also involved int he cooperation. Representatives of the three countries signed an agreement on this joint air space protection in December, NOS reports.
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert
Dec 22 '16 14:00
A large number of parliamentarians are hesitating over extending the UN mission in Mali. They are concerned over a lack of air support to the Dutch troops there as there will be no access to fighting helicopters between March 1st and May 1st, the Volkskrant reports.
Dec 6 '16 10:31
Former Defense Minister Joris Voorhoeve is criticizing his distant successor Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert for saying that the Dutch mission in Srebrenica was a mission "that - already in advance - was impossible to do" in a speech on Veterans' Day. In a letter in the Volkskrant Voorhoeve writes that military leaders convinced the then Minister that the mission was feasible and therefore Hennis' statement is "evidently a mistake".
Dec 2 '16 10:09
The Dutch government is discussing a proposal for a major new investigation into violence used by Dutch in Indonesia in the late 40's. This follows the results of years of research by historian Remy Limpach that found that "systemic violence" was used in the former Dutch East Indies, RTL Nieuws reports.
Nov 17 '16 07:45
The Dutch Ministry of Defense will get more money in the coming years, no matter who wins the elections in March next year. Almost all parliamentary parties think there were to many cutbacks on the Defense budget in recent years, was revealed during the parliamentary debate on that budget on Wednesday, NOS reports.
Nov 15 '16 16:30
The wreks of cruisers Hr. Ms. De Royter and Hr. Ms. Java and a large part of Hr. Ms Kortenaer - serving as the war graves of over 900 Dutch soldiers and some 250 Indonesian soldiers off the coast of Indonesia - disappeared for unknown reason, Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis Plasschaert wrote to Dutch parliament, RTL Nieuws reports.
Nov 14 '16 13:59
A joint purchase by the Netherlands and Belgium will give the navies of those two countries access to twelve minesweepers and four frigates, according to Belgian media outlet De Redactie. An estimated four-billion euro purchase price will be split by the neighboring nations, presuming Dutch defense minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and her Belgian counterpart, Steven Vandeput, sign the deal later in November.
Oct 12 '16 12:20
Minister Jeanine Hennis Plasschaert is strongly opposed to reinstating the military draft, she said in an interview with Het Parool on Wednesday. According to her it is a nice idea, but it is overpriced and inconsistent with a professional army that can cope with the increasing tensions in the world.
Sep 16 '16 13:35
On Thursday the National Military Museum in Soesterberg received the first American to be planted on D-Day in 1944. The flag is on loan from collector Bert Kreuk, who bought it at an auction for 500 thousand dollars.
Jul 6 '16 21:04
An accidental mortar shell explosion killed two Dutch soldiers operating on behalf of the United Nations mission to Mali on Wednesday, the Dutch cabinet confirmed in a statement. Sergeant 1st Class Henry Hoving, 29, and 24-year-old Corporal Kevin Roggeveld died during target practice.
Jun 30 '16 09:47
Over 20 years after the fall of Srebrenica, 12 veterans from Dutchbat III are suing the Dutch government for sending them on an "impossible mission", their lawyers announced on Thursday. According to lawyers Michael Ruperti and Klaas Arjen Krikke, the government was "seriously negligent and careless"
Jun 9 '16 12:10
The Ministry of Defense is taking temporary measures in an effort to cut back on spending and achieve a balanced budget. Despite several budget increases over the past years, the Ministry is still spending more than the budget allows.
May 13 '16 16:00
The Netherlands' F-16 stationed in Jordan participated in seven missions over Syria in the past three months. The Dutch fighter jets dropped bombs on ISIS targets four times during those missions, Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert wrote in response to questions from Parliament
Apr 19 '16 11:15
Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert is following the "HackerOne" program with interest. The program is a American initiative to have group of carefully selected hackers try in hack into the Pentagon systems.
Apr 15 '16 14:50
A new legislative proposal gives the Netherlands' intelligence and security services the ability for eaves dropping on cellphone and internet traffic on a large-scale. But only if an as-yet-to-be-establishments independent committee gives them permission
Apr 12 '16 12:55
Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis Plasschaert wants an extension for NATO's anti-human trafficking mission on the Aegean Sea. The mission is set to end over three months, "but leaving in July would be really premature", Hennis said to broadcaster NOS during a visit to the area.
Apr 8 '16 13:25
Investigative journalist Alberto Stegeman managed to get into the army base in Oirschot and walk about unnoticed. Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert will investigate how he managed it
Mar 24 '16 13:10
The NATO Defense Planning Capability Review is very critical on the Dutch Defense policy, both in how much money the country invests in its defense capabilities and the deploy-ability of the Dutch army.
Mar 21 '16 15:00
Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert wants an extra 2 billion euros for the armed forces in the coming years, to bring the Netherlands up to the average spent by other European NATO countries, she said on radio program Kamerbreed on Saturday.
Mar 15 '16 11:38
King Willem-Alexander awarded the Military Order of Willem to the the elite unit of the Dutch army, the Commando Corps, on Tuesday for their extraordinary efforts in Afghanistan. According to the King, the Corps can be measured with the best special forces in the world. "You went through the fire for peace and safety", he said in his speech
Mar 10 '16 08:23
The Dutch navy ship Zr.MS. Van Amstel was selected to participate in the NATO mission against human trafficking between Turkey and Greece. The ship along with some 150 soldiers will join the mission on the Aegean sea in July, Ministers Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert of Defense and Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday
Mar 4 '16 09:40
The Dutch Ministry of Defense is considering buying four new submarines for at least 2.5 billion euros. But experts are concerned that the actual costs will easily reach around 4 billion euros, the Volkskrant reports.
Feb 25 '16 12:35
A total of 200 people were arrested on suspicion of human-trafficking related crimes since the controls on Dutch borders were tightened in September. More than 200 thousand people were checked between September and mid-January, Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert wrote to the Tweede Kamer, lower house of parliament
Feb 16 '16 10:53
The Ministry of Defense wants to reduce its use of fossil fuels like oil and gas by 70 percent in 2050. Increased dependency on more fuel cause problems during operations, Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert writes in her Operational Energy Strategy
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