The Netherlands is contemplating a plan to increase its total defense personnel from 75,000 to 200,000
The Netherlands is weighing a major expansion of its military forces, with the total number of personnel potentially rising to 200,000, Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported on Friday.
At present, the Ministry of Defense employs approximately 75,000 people, including both military and civilian staff, and maintains a reserve force of about 8,000. However, State Secretary for Defense Gijs Tuinman has reportedly cited the 200,000 figure during a recent closed-door meeting with labor unions and ministry officials, according to NOS.
In January, Tuinman publicly acknowledged that the Dutch Defense Ministry has a plan to increase the size of the armed forces by at least 25%. “We are currently at about 74,000 people, a medium-sized city,” he said at the time “That is quite a lot, but it must quickly grow to 100,000 men.”
Tuinman rejected mandatory military service, adding that the ministry focusing on voluntary recruitment and the recently introduced “service year” program, which allows young people to work in defense roles for a year.
Mandatory military service in the Netherlands is still legally in place, but has been suspended since 1997, with citizens no longer forced to serve unless it is necessary for the security of the country.
However, some experts have argued that voluntary recruitment alone may not be sufficient to meet such ambitious targets. “The ambition is good, but there has to be a plan,” Dick Zandee, a defense analyst at the Clingendael Institute, told the NOS. “If you want to increase that much, you have to make something mandatory.”
Jean Debie, chair of the Union for Civil and Military Defense Personnel, said that compulsory service might eventually become necessary. “It will be introduced gradually if it turns out that there is insufficient recruitment on a voluntary basis,” he said, according to the outlet.
The Netherlands is reportedly looking to Sweden as a model. The Nordic country reintroduced conscription in 2017 after a long suspension, citing deteriorating security conditions in Europe.
The military expansion reports come amid tensions between the West and Russia over the Ukraine conflict, while US President Donald Trump has urged the EU to take more responsibility for its own defense.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied any intention of attacking NATO countries, dismissing the speculation as “complete nonsense.”
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