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. Today,
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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