A look at the Defence news 13 - 19 June
At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, the Netherlands Minister of Defence Kajsa Ollongren said that the Ministry of Defence aims to deploy a Royal Netherlands Navy vessel to the Indo-Pacific every 2 years, as part of a European naval presence. In this way, the Netherlands will contribute to maintaining the free passage of ships. The Shangri-La Dialogue, which was held from 10 to 12 June, is the foremost security conference in Asia.
Marines prepared for rapid deployment in the event of hurricane
The Netherlands armed forces in the Caribbean are not unfamiliar with the devastating power of hurricanes. Several times in the past, Dutch military personnel have been deployed to provide assistance and maintain order after such a natural phenomenon. If the Defence organisation is once again called upon to assist, Dutch marines can now be on site quickly. The Marine Spearhead Task Unit has been thoroughly preparing for putting into practice the correct procedures in the event that a doomsday scenario becomes a reality.
Ukraine main focus during final ministerial NATO meeting prior to summit
From 28 to 30 June, the NATO summit will take place in Madrid. The Netherlands Minister of Defence, Kajsa Ollongren, attended a meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence in preparation for the summit. She informed them of the increase in the Netherlands’ defence budget to 2% of GDP in 2024. The illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine was the main focus of the meeting. NATO Allies discussed the consequences of the invasion for NATO’s deterrence and defence.