Netherlands to add tanks, F-35s, frigates amid warnings of war

The Netherlands plans to bolster its armed forces by reconstituting a tank battalion, buying more F-35 fighter jets and adding anti-submarine frigates as the NATO member seeks to field a more credible military force capable of deterring an attack.

The Dutch government will increase defense spending by €2.4 billion (U.S.$2.65 billion) a year, including €1.5 billion additional spending on “combat power,” it said in a paper last week setting out policy for coming years. The country will lift its defense budget to around €24 billion a year, nearly double what the Netherlands spent on defense in 2022.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Dutch need to prepare for scenarios including Russia attacking a NATO member such as Lithuania or Poland, the defense paper said. The Netherlands must be ready to fight a war of necessity rather than the “wars of choice” of recent decades, State Secretary of Defence Gijs Tuinman said in a presentation of the paper on Thursday.

“The ruthless aggression shows that an attack on the NATO alliance is no longer unthinkable,” Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said. “The Netherlands must step up to protect our security. We have to get to work to deter our enemies, guard NATO’s external borders and prevent further war in Europe. We have no time to lose in this.”

Brekelmans said the Netherlands may seem at peace, but in reality the country is in a “gray zone” of neither peace nor war, facing daily attacks on digital systems, companies, ports and power grids, and constant spying. He said the Dutch can no longer choose where in the world’s conflict areas they can contribute, but must be ready to defend the national territory.

“This is not just a small change,” Dutch Chief of Defence Gen. Otto Eichelsheim said. “It is a turning point in the history of the Dutch armed forces, and it requires a fundamentally different way of thinking. Instead of meticulously preparing and planning every single mission, in the near future our military, our civilians must simply be ready every day, permanently ready for a large-scale conflict. Because deterrence only works if we are credible.”

The government said it wants to enshrine minimum defense spending of 2% of gross domestic product in law. The country had already lifted its 2024 defense budget to €21.4 billion, or 1.95% of GDP, from €15.4 billion in 2023 and €12.9 billion in 2022.

Brekelmans said the Netherlands will still continue to deploy internationally to regions important to its security and prosperity, such as in Iraq and the Red Sea, and play an active role providing military support for Ukraine.

As part of the new focus on home defense, the Netherlands will recreate a tank battalion, after selling its last Leopard 2 tanks in 2011 due to budget cuts, and leasing 18 tanks from Germany since 2015. NATO has been calling on the Netherlands to strengthen its land-based power, including with heavy armor. The country may buy around 50 Leopard 2 A8 tanks, according to Dutch press reports.

A tank battalion costs between €260 million and €315 million per year, based on a 15-year planning period that includes buying the tanks as well as maintenance, spare parts, operating and personnel costs, according to a report to parliament earlier this year. The government will also look into unmanned systems to supplement manned tanks, it said in the defense paper.

To boost infantry firepower, the Army’s Boxer armored personnel carriers will be equipped with heavier cannons as well as anti-tank weapons.

“The armed forces must grow – in manpower, resources, and in weapon systems,” Brekelmans said. “We will have to innovate, to constantly stay one step ahead of our adversaries.”

For the Royal Netherlands Navy, the government will buy two more anti-submarine warfare frigates as well as NH-90 helicopters and uncrewed vessels. The Netherlands last year ordered two anti-submarine frigates from Damen and Thales for €1.9 billion, and the government now says the country needs more protection against underwater threats, including to subsea infrastructure in deeper waters.

The Dutch will also order an additional six F-35 fighter jets on top of the 52 aircraft already announced. Increasing the number of fighters will allow for greater availability and firepower, as well as more sustained operations, the paper said.

The country will invest in supplies of ammunition and spare parts, as well as free up additional funds for logistics, medical support and intelligence.

“It is not only crucial that we can bring more combat power to the table, but also that we can sustain the fight longer,” Brekelmans said. “This is an important lesson from the war in Ukraine, which has now been going on for two and a half years, with no end in sight at this time. Putin is discouraged only when he knows that he is losing not only the first battle, but the entire war.”

The Dutch armed forces face a “major limitation” related to the speed with which equipment and weapons can be delivered, and the country needs to boost the capacity of its defense firms to produce and innovate, according to the minister.

The Netherlands will therefore spend about €1 billion in coming years to beef up defense-industrial production, according to Tuinman, the defense state secretary, who said a strong local defense industry is part of deterrence.

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.

荷兰计划通过重建坦克营、购买更多 F-35 战斗机和增加反潜护卫舰来加强其武装力量，因为这个北约成员国正在寻求组建一支更可靠的军事力量，以威慑攻击。

荷兰政府上周发布了一份阐述未来几年国防政策的文件，宣布将每年增加24亿欧元（约合26.5亿美元）的国防开支，其中包括15亿欧元用于“作战能力”的额外支出。该国国防预算将增至约240亿欧元，几乎是2022年国防开支的两倍。

荷兰国防文件指出，继俄罗斯入侵乌克兰之后，荷兰需要为包括俄罗斯攻击北约成员国（例如立陶宛或波兰）在内的各种情景做好准备。荷兰国防国务秘书吉斯·图因曼周四在发布该文件时表示，荷兰必须做好准备，应对一场“必要战争”，而不是像近几十年来那样进行“选择性战争”。

“这种残酷的侵略表明，攻击北约联盟已不再是不可想象的，”荷兰国防部长鲁本·布雷克尔曼斯表示。“荷兰必须挺身而出，捍卫我们的安全。我们必须立即行动起来，威慑敌人，守卫北约的外部边界，并防止欧洲再次爆发战争。我们刻不容缓。”

布雷克尔曼斯表示，荷兰表面上看似和平，但实际上却处于一种既非和平也非战争的“灰色地带”，每天都面临着针对数字系统、企业、港口和电网的攻击，以及持续不断的间谍活动。他指出，荷兰人已无法选择在世界冲突地区做出哪些贡献，而必须随时准备保卫国家领土。

“这并非一项小小的改变，”荷兰国防军总司令奥托·艾歇尔斯海姆将军表示，“这是荷兰武装部队历史上的一个转折点，需要一种截然不同的思维方式。在不久的将来，我们的军人和民众不再需要精心准备和计划每一次任务，而是必须时刻保持警惕，随时准备应对大规模冲突。因为只有当我们拥有公信力时，威慑才能奏效。”

政府表示，希望将国防开支占国内生产总值2%的最低标准写入法律。该国已将2024年的国防预算从2023年的154亿欧元和2022年的129亿欧元提高到214亿欧元，占国内生产总值的1.95%。

布雷克尔曼斯表示，荷兰仍将继续向对其安全和繁荣至关重要的地区（例如伊拉克和红海地区）进行国际部署，并在向乌克兰提供军事支持方面发挥积极作用。

作为加强本土防御战略的一部分，荷兰将在2011年因预算削减出售最后一批豹2坦克，并从2015年起从德国租赁18辆坦克后，重建一个坦克营。北约一直呼吁荷兰加强其陆基力量，包括重型装甲力量。据荷兰媒体报道，荷兰可能购买约50辆豹2 A8坦克。

根据今年早些时候提交给议会的一份报告，一个坦克营每年的开支在2.6亿至3.15亿欧元之间，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、运营和人员成本。该国防文件还指出，政府将研究无人系统，以补充有人驾驶坦克。

为了增强步兵火力，陆军的“拳击手”装甲运兵车将配备更重的火炮以及反坦克武器。

布雷克尔曼斯说：“武装部队必须发展壮大——包括人力、资源和武器系统。我们必须不断创新，才能始终领先于我们的对手。”

荷兰政府将为皇家海军增购两艘反潜护卫舰、NH-90直升机和无人船艇。荷兰去年已向达门和泰雷兹公司订购了两艘反潜护卫舰，总价值19亿欧元。如今，荷兰政府表示，该国需要加强水下防御，以应对包括深水区海底基础设施在内的各种威胁。

荷兰将在此前已宣布订购的52架F-35战斗机基础上，再增购6架。报道称，增加战斗机数量将提升战机的可用性和火力，并增强作战的持久性。

该国将投资于弹药和零部件的供应，并腾出更多资金用于后勤、医疗支持和情报工作。

布雷克尔曼斯说：“至关重要的是，我们不仅要增强战斗力，还要延长战斗时间。这是乌克兰战争给我们带来的重要教训。这场战争已经持续了两年半，目前仍看不到结束的迹象。只有当普京意识到自己不仅输掉了第一场战役，而且输掉了整场战争时，他才会感到沮丧。”

据这位部长称，荷兰武装部队在装备和武器的交付速度方面面临着“重大限制”，该国需要提高其国防企业的生产和创新能力。

因此，荷兰将在未来几年投入约 10 亿欧元来加强国防工业生产。国防国务秘书图伊曼表示，强大的本土国防工业是威慑的一部分。

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。