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Germany and the Netherlands step up their military cooperation

Germany will become joint user of the largest and newest ship in the Royal Netherlands Navy, the logistical support ship HNLMS Karel Doorman. Yesterday, Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and her German colleague Ursula von der Leyen signed two agreements on far-reaching cooperation measures.


The signing took place on board the Karel Doorman, which is currently moored in Amsterdam's harbour. 
The joint logistic support ship can be used as a supply vessel but also for transporting heavy weapons and for the sea-based support of complex landing operations with helicopters. In 2013, the Netherlands decided for financial reasons to use the ship exclusively as a supply ship with a reduced crew.

The Ministry of Defence subsequently approached international partners about possibilities for joint use, which would allow the ship to be deployed for other purposes. This possibility is now being discussed with Germany. Hennis: “I expect us to collaborate in the future with other partners in this area.”

Another aspect of the maritime cooperation is the integration of the German Naval Force Protection Battalion (Seebataillon) into the Royal Netherlands Navy. The German battalion consists of several hundred soldiers with special capacities, including divers, amphibious reconnaissance and de-mining experts. This German unit will come under Dutch command, just as Dutch units have in the past been placed under German command.

Armoured cooperation

Against a backdrop of two Leopard 2A6 battle tanks on the helicopter deck, the two ministers ratified the integration of the 43rd Mechanized Brigade into the German 1st Armoured Division. This collaboration allows the Dutch armed forces to have tanks at its disposal once again and enables it to maintain its know-how in operating this weapon system. Some 100 Dutch soldiers of the 43rd Mechanized Brigade will staff one company of the German tank battalion and be responsible for eighteen Leopard tanks.

Joint air defence

Last week, Germany and the Netherlands signed an agreement strengthening ties in the area of ground-based air and missile defence. The need for this capacity has grown dramatically due to the increasingly diverse threats from the air. A joint training institute is to be established, and possibilities are being explored to integrate a German unit into the Dutch Ground-Based Air Defence Command. Germany and the Netherlands also plan to conduct research on short-distance air defence.

Pioneering role

The signing of these two agreements strengthens the pioneering role in European defence cooperation that Germany and the Netherlands have taken upon themselves. These agreements build on the integration under way since 2014 of the Dutch Air Mobile Brigade into the German Division Schnelle Kräfte.

 

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