A look at the Defence news 25 November – 1 December

Last week, four Dutch F-35 fighter aircraft arrived at Amari air base in Estonia.

From there, they will be guarding NATO airspace on the eastern border of the NATO treaty area for the next four months. Between 90 and 150 military personnel are part of the air force detachment in the Baltic state.

Compensation for relatives of Srebrenica victims

Over 2,300 relatives of 612 victims of the Srebrenica genocide have received compensation from the State of the Netherlands. The Wortmann Committee judged that they had each been able to make a credible case regarding the presence of their relatives at the Dutchbat military base on 13 July 1995. Their relatives were subsequently killed by Bosnian Serb forces. A total of 25 million Euros in compensation has been paid in relation to the events at Srebrenica.

Another success for the navy in the Caribbean: 685 kilos of cocaine intercepted

HNLMS Holland recently intercepted a boat carrying 685 kilos of cocaine. The haul in the Caribbean dates from 8 November, but was only made public last week. It was the navy vessel’s sixth drug haul since September.

Prestigious Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize awarded to the NLD armed forces

During a ceremony held in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands Chief of Defence General Onno Eichelsheim accepted the Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize on behalf of the Netherlands armed forces. The Dutch military was awarded the peace prize for their participation in more than 80 peacekeeping missions around the world.

Recovery Service finds human remains in wreck of Spitfire

The RNLAF Recovery Service recently found a small amount of human remains during the recovery of a British Second World War Spitfire. It was established beyond doubt that the remains belong to the Belgian pilot of the aircraft, Henri Goldsmit.