Netherlands considers creating tank battalion, but needs funding

PARIS — The Netherlands is considering recreating its own tank battalion amid Russia’s war in Ukraine , though there’s currently no funding for the imitative, according to parliamentary documents.

The current defense budget doesn’t cover the costs of setting up a tank battalion, and such a decision would require additional money and would be up to the next government, Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren and State Secretary of Defence Christophe van der Maat wrote in a Feb. 5 response to parliamentary questions .

The Netherlands, which had close to 1,000 tanks at the height of the Cold War, got rid of its last two tank battalions in 2011 after budget cuts. Since 2015, the country has leased 18 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from Germany that form one of five companies within the German-Dutch 414 Tank Battalion.

“Given the deteriorating security situation since 2022, it’s essential that our armed forces be strengthened further,” Ollongren and Van der Maat wrote. “If there is additional budget for the Armed Forces, we will look at capabilities across the board. A decision on a tank battalion is therefore up to a next Cabinet.”

NATO’s defense-planning capability review released in 2022 noted shortcomings for the Dutch military in land-based power and combat support. Adding a new tank battalion would strengthen the alliance and support the Netherland’s priority objective to create a heavy infantry brigade, the defense officials added.

The government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte took on a caretaker role after elections in November while a new Cabinet is negotiated. A caretaker government in the Netherlands traditionally limits itself to business at hand, while avoiding controversial decisions, such as allocating the billions of euros required to set up and operate a tank battalion.

A tank battalion costs between €260 million and €315 million (U.S. $280 millions and U.S. $339 million) a year, based on a 15-year planning period that includes buying the tanks as well as maintenance, spare parts, operating and personnel costs, the officials said. The battalion’s structure might mirror that of the 414 Tank Battalion, with the tanks owned by the Dutch and 20% of personnel being German.

The Dutch 2024 defense budget increased to €21.4 billion from about €15 billion in defense spending last year. The amount doesn’t include funding for tanks.

Amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, NATO members in July last year pledged to spend at least 2% of their respective gross domestic product annually on defense, with 20% of defense funding allocated for major equipment. The Dutch 2024 budget amounts to 1.95% of GDP, according to the Dutch government.

The German government last summer invited the Dutch to a joint purchasing initiative for the Leopard 2 A8 main battle tank, according to the letter to parliament. The Netherlands asked to defer a decision given the government’s caretaker status.

The Czech Republic said in December it was in advanced negotiations with Germany for the A8 variant, developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, a member of the KNDS joint venture. The tank would come with a 120mm canon by Rheinmetall. KNDS and Leonardo have also signed an agreement to provide Italy with a main battle tank based on the Leopard 2 A8.

The Netherlands is seeking to join the Franco-German Main Ground Combat System project . Paris and Berlin plan to invite other interested European Union members to join the project once their governments have defined the future tank’s specifications , French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu said in September.

The Netherlands and Denmark last year agreed to buy 14 Leopard 2 A4 tanks for Ukraine for about €165 million, after previously joining with Denmark and Germany to supply at least 100 Leopard 1 A5 tanks to the embattled country.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——据议会文件显示，在俄罗斯入侵乌克兰的战争背景下，荷兰正在考虑重建自己的坦克营，但目前尚无资金支持这项计划。

荷兰国防部长凯莎·奥隆格伦和国防国务秘书克里斯托夫·范德马特在 2 月 5 日对议会质询的答复中写道，目前的国防预算不足以支付组建坦克营的费用，这样的决定需要额外的资金，并将由下一届政府决定。

冷战高峰时期，荷兰曾拥有近千辆坦克，但在2011年预算削减后，解散了最后两个坦克营。自2015年以来，荷兰从德国租赁了18辆豹2 A6坦克，这些坦克组成了德荷联合第414坦克营的五个连队之一。

奥隆格伦和范德马特写道：“鉴于自2022年以来安全形势不断恶化，进一步加强我国武装部队至关重要。如果武装部队预算增加，我们将全面审视其能力。因此，是否组建坦克营的决定将由下届内阁做出。”

北约2022年发布的国防规划能力评估报告指出，荷兰军队在陆基力量和作战支援方面存在不足。国防官员补充说，增设一个坦克营将加强北约，并支持荷兰组建重型步兵旅的首要目标。

在11月大选后，首相马克·吕特领导的政府承担了看守政府的角色，同时新内阁的组建也在进行中。在荷兰，看守政府通常只处理眼前的事务，避免做出诸如拨款数十亿欧元组建和运营坦克营等争议性决定。

据官员称，一个坦克营每年的开支在2.6亿至3.15亿欧元（约合2.8亿至3.39亿美元）之间，这是基于15年的规划期计算得出的，其中包括坦克的采购、维护、备件、运营和人员费用。该营的结构可能与第414坦克营类似，坦克归荷兰所有，20%的人员为德国人。

荷兰2024年的国防预算从去年的约150亿欧元增至214亿欧元。该金额不包括坦克采购经费。

在俄罗斯持续对乌克兰发动战争之际，北约成员国去年7月承诺每年将各自国内生产总值（GDP）的至少2%用于国防开支，其中20%的国防预算将用于购置大型装备。据荷兰政府称，荷兰2024年的国防预算相当于GDP的1.95%。

根据致议会的信函，德国政府去年夏天邀请荷兰参与一项联合采购豹2A8主战坦克的计划。鉴于荷兰政府当时处于看守政府状态，荷兰方面请求推迟做出决定。

捷克共和国去年12月表示，正与德国就A8型坦克的采购进行深入谈判。该坦克由KNDS合资企业成员克劳斯-玛菲-韦格曼公司（Krauss-Maffei Wegmann）研发，将配备莱茵金属公司（Rheinmetall）生产的120毫米火炮。此外，KNDS和莱昂纳多公司（Leonardo）也已签署协议，将向意大利提供基于豹2 A8的主战坦克。

荷兰正寻求加入法德联合研发的主战坦克系统项目。法国武装部队部长塞巴斯蒂安·勒科尔努在9月份表示，巴黎和柏林计划在各国政府确定未来坦克的具体规格后，邀请其他感兴趣的欧盟成员国加入该项目。

去年，荷兰和丹麦同意向乌克兰购买 14 辆豹 2 A4 坦克，总价约 1.65 亿欧元。此前，荷兰和丹麦已与丹麦和德国联手，向这个饱受战火蹂躏的国家提供至少 100 辆豹 1 A5 坦克。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。