A look at the Defence news 8 - 14 April
Thirty years of Dutch and American drug hauls in Caribbean
For 30 years, the Netherlands and the United States have together been intercepting drug transports in the Caribbean. In the last two years alone, that led to some 50,000 kilos of contraband being intercepted.
Last week, both countries highlighted this long-term cooperation in counter-drug operations on board the Royal Netherlands Navy's guard ship in the Caribbean, HNLMS Groningen, which was moored in Key West, Florida, especially for this occasion.
Ollongren speaks out against Russian influence activities in Moldova
During a visit to Moldova last week, Netherlands Minister of Defence Kajsa Ollongren said that she wishes to lend support to Moldova against Russian influence activities. The eastern European republic is closely linked to the situation in Ukraine. Before visiting Moldova, the minister paid a visit to Greece, where she spoke to her counterpart Nikos Dendias and emphasised the importance of cooperation in providing military support to Ukraine. She also visited the HQ of Operation Aspides, currently being conducted in the Red Sea. The Netherlands is one of the countries contributing to this operation, which aims to protect shipping against Houthi attacks.