A look at the Defence news 19 - 25 June
Last Saturday, the Netherlands thanked its close to 100,000 veterans for their worldwide efforts. The 19th edition of Dutch Veterans Day was held in front of a huge audience in The Hague. One of the event’s highlights was the march-past for King Willem-Alexander, with 4,000 veterans participating. At times, they were alternated with heavy materiel, such as a self-propelled howitzer.
The event also had an air element to it, with aircraft and helicopters giving an airborne salute during a flypast. After the march-past, the participants had the opportunity to catch up with comrades they had not seen for ages at a celebration at the Malieveld, which had been completely dedicated to socialising, music, dancing and military shows.
Defence continues to support rehabilitation of Ukrainian military personnel
Since 29 October 2021, 32 Ukrainian military personnel have received treatment at the military rehabilitation centre in Doorn, the Netherlands. Last week the Netherlands Minister of Defence Kajsa Ollongren announced during a visit to the centre that Defence remains committed to the rehabilitation of Ukrainian fighters.
Royal Netherlands Navy intercepts over 2,100 kilos of drugs in the Caribbean
Station ship HNLMS Groningen twice managed to thwart drug smugglers in the Caribbean by destroying the engines of their fast boats. Both times, this happened after warning shots did not have the desired effect. During the operations on 22 and 24 June, a total of 1,900 kilos of drugs was seized. It was also announced that on 6 June, 200 kilos of contraband was seized in a similar operation.