A look at Defence 26 June - 2 July
Lieutenant General Van der Laan appointed as DG of EU Military Staff
Lieutenant General Michiel van der Laan is now Director General of the European Union Military Staff.
He also bears final responsibility for the EU’s military missions. Van der Laan succeeded Vice Admiral Hervé Bléjean of the French Navy on 26 June.
Dutch military personnel end contribution to multinational battlegroup in Romania
The Dutch contribution to the multinational battlegroup in Romania has ended. Dutch army personnel were stationed in the eastern European country for one year to counteract the threat that had emerged on the eastern flank of NATO territory following the invasion of Ukraine by Putin’s troops.
Final resting place for German WWII soldiers
On 28 June, 10 German soldiers who died in the Second World War were reburied at the German Military Cemetery in Ysselsteyn, Netherlands. The brief ceremony was attended by representatives from the German embassy and a number of relatives.
HNLMS Groningen once again takes out engine of go-fast during drugs haul
The Dutch naval vessel HNLMS Groningen intercepted over 600 kilos of drugs last week. During the intervention, the suspects refused to stop, even after warning shots had been fired. The crew then disabled the engine of the suspects’ go-fast with targeted fire.
The UK and the Netherlands to assess options for cooperation in purchasing new type of naval vessel
Over the coming year, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom will look into the options for cooperation in purchasing new naval vessels. To this end, the Netherlands Minister of Defence, Kajsa Ollongren, and her British colleague, James Cartlidge, signed an agreement. Both countries wish to replace a number of vessels with a new vessel type over the coming decade.
Lindelauf appointed professor of data science and artificial intelligence
It is important to strengthen expertise in the area of data science and artificial intelligence in the defence and security domain. Former air force officer Dr. Roy Lindelauf will certainly be contributing to the effort in this area. Last week, he was appointed professor of the chair of ‘Data Science in Military Operations’ at the Military Science department of the Faculty of Military Science.
Defence once again extends deployment of MQ-9 Reaper from Curaçao
The unmanned reconnaissance aircraft MQ-9 Reaper will remain stationed at Hato airport in Curaçao until 30 September. This has been arranged to allow air force personnel to prepare for heavier tasks and large-scale operations. Air force personnel will also continue to work on the operational readiness of the system. This is the second extension of this kind.